The great war, and the GS ball of prophecy
by 333444
Summary: Ash is back home in Palet celebrating his thirteenth birthday with his friends. But after loosing the Kalos league, he has taken two years away from his pokemon journey. He hopes a trip to Johto to visit Brock will help him find his destiny, but once Johto is attacked by alien pokemon, Ash finds his world turned upside down. Includes multiple shipping and the secret of the GS ball.
1. Chapter 1

**The Great War and the GS ball of prophecy**

Chapter 1

It was around midday as the warm sun shone through the windows of the Ketchum household. Serena had herself nestled against Ash's shoulder, while Bonnie and Clement were sitting at the opposite end of the dining room table, as Delia Ketchum brought in the day's lunch which was a collection of tea, cakes, and cheese and lettuce sandwiches. "Thank you so much Ms Ketchum, it looks lovely" Serena exclaimed.

"Actually, food can't be lovely", Clement interjected. Serena gave him a piercing stare in return.

"Ok, Mr Science man, the food looks delicious" she responded, turning in Delia's direction.

"That's ok Serena and thank you" Delia responded pleasantly, "but Clement does make a good point, when I was growing up people were very particular about how food was described." Serena began to blush.

"Don't worry about it Serena, no one's perfect!" exclaimed Ash with his usual enthusiasm, as he patted Serena on the back, "but one of the great things about Serena is that you know she always means well, even if she does get a little bit overenthusiastic."

"That's what makes you such a good couple" Clement observed.

"Oh big brother, what's with you and the insults today, a kind word or two wouldn't go astray" Bonnie noted.

"I'm sorry you guys" Clement giggled. "I'm just having a bout of knowitallism. You get it, knowitallism isn't a real word", he laughed loudly. The others were unsure of how to respond to his bad humour. "Nice one Clement", Ash responded, with a wry smile.

"Stop trying so hard big brother, you're fine just the way you are", Bonnie exclaimed. Clement began to blush with embarrassment.

Delia now brought out a large, vanilla sponge cake. This was to celebrate Ash's 13th birthday. "Happy birthday Ash", Serena said warmly, as she gave Ash a peck on the cheek. "Remember you have another special day coming up soon."

"Oh yeah, our 2nd anniversary."

"That's Right!" She cried, giggling with excitement."

"I love hearing the story of how you two got together", Delia interjected. "It sounded so romantic." This story took place just after Serena had won the Kalos master class tournament and been crowned Kalos Queen. She was so filled with joy that she publicly declared her love for Ash and asked him to be her boyfriend in front of the whole arena. After a long pause and some intense blushing, he wearily nodded in agreement. Later on, he was quite ecstatic to be Serena's boyfriend, but the experience still sends shivers down his spine to this day.

"I thought that it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen", said Bonnie with a tear in her eye.

"Well I do admit, I was perhaps a little unfair putting poor Ash through that, but at least it worked out well."

"I wish Ash had won that last battle and being Kalos champion, then you two would really be a power couple", Clement noted.

"Oh well", Ash lamented, "at least I made the final. But I'm not giving up, one day I will be a pokemon master, and one thing I learned in Kalos is that I am good enough, I just need to improve a few things , and get a little bit of good fortune."

"Speaking of that Ash", Clement continued, "It's been two years since you competed in a pokemon league, do you think maybe it's time to start thinking about going on another journey?" Ash pondered Clement's words: "Yes, I think the time is close, but it has been important for me to get away these last two years and reflect on my journey so far and focus on my relationship with Serena, as well as think about what direction I want to head in from this point on. Actually, that's part of the reason I'm travelling to Johto to see Brock, aside from celebrating his 18th birthday of course."

"I'm so excited about this trip", Serena declared, "I've never been to Johto before, and I've being waiting so long to meet this Brock guy you're always talking about."

"I'm excited to see if he's really as good a cook as me", Clement joked. The others laughed at that.

Only moments later, they were interrupted by loud footsteps, as May and Misty trundled through the door, with a number of Pokemon, including Ash's Pikachu, May's Beautifly and venusaur, and Misty's Azurill and Psyduck. All appeared to be having a jolly good time as they entered the dining room for some lunch of their own. "Happy birthday Ash"! both the girls exclaimed as they ran up and hugged him, one on either side.

"Thanks guys…I mean girls." They both giggled at that gaff, as they took their seats.

"Oh, Ash", Misty began, "Professor Oak says he would like to see you before you leave, he says it's important."

"Sure I will, but I will have to be quick, we need to be at the harbour by 6:00 tonight, our plane leaves from there at 6:15."

"I know, but I don't think it will take long."

"Do you have any idea what it's about Misty?"

"Something to do with that GS ball we picked up from Professor Ivy in the Orange Islands." Ash was startled. "Don't tell me he's finally discovered the secret?"

"No, I don't think so, but according to Professor Oak it is doing something strange. I don't know the exact details." Ash was suddenly scoffing his food down, in a rush to finish and get over to Professor Oak's laboratory, however, his efforts were needless as only moments later there was a knock on the door. Delia answered: "Oh hello Professor, come in and have some tea and cake, it's Ash's 13th birthday you know?"

"I'm well aware, as you know. The whole town knows. Ash is fast becoming Palet's favourite son after making the final of the Kalos League." He then approached Ash, "Ash my boy, happy birthday" as he learnt in and gave him a big hug. "You're certainly taller than I remember you being."

"Now Professor" Ash began, "I must know what news you have about the GS ball."

"Very well. According to Kurt, for the past week or so, the ball has been glowing a blueish colour, intermittently. It usually only lasts a few seconds or so, but it still won't open." So I'm afraid it's still just as much of a mystery as ever, except now there's one more mystery to solve."

"Don't worry Profosser" Ash responded cheerfully, "I think we're closer than ever to solving the mystery of the GS ball, and I feel like this could be its way of telling us it wants us to solve that mystery."

"Perhaps Ash, but I'm not getting anywhere yet. I don't have a clue why it would glow and then just stop, and neither does Kurt. If only we could open it somehow. Sometimes I feel like telling Kurt to get a hammer and just break it open! At least then we'll know." Ash put his hand on his shoulder: "Don't lose heart Professor, the mystery will be solved, and I'm not just saying that. I know what it's like to work hard at something for so long and still fall short, but I believe that in the end perseverance will be rewarded, as long as we have a little bit of faith to go with it." Oak smiled brightly at his pupil: "you sure are quite different from Gary, but I love you both just as you are." Ash had tears in his eyes now, "you will always be dear to me too Professor, and thank you for all you've taught me."

"Sorry to spoil the moment" Clement interjected, "But I believe I might have a way to solve your problem." Everyone in the room was staring intently at him now. "What if you first contact researcher's from around the World and see if any of them have heard of a GS ball glowing blue, and if that doesn't work, I think you should consult historical archives for any mention, including ancient legends and folklore. And if that doesn't work, I'm as baffled as you are. It may be that the ball is associated with a certain species of pokemon, so if it were to come into the hands of a pokemon of that species, the ball might react in a certain way."

"Well" Oak responded, looking deep in thought, "that's the best suggestion anyone has had so far. I have been in touch with a few friends of mine who are researchers, and they know no more than I do, but there are many more I could get in contact with, thank you young man."

About half an hour later, they all said their farewells to Delia and Professor Oak, as they left the green meadows of Palet behind them and headed south towards the coast, where they would be boarding their flight for Johto. Ash was sad to be leaving Palet behind so soon (he had only been home for 3 days, after travelling around Kanto with Clement, Bonnie and Serena for Serena's showcase journey which ended with a top four finish at the Kanto master class. It was also Bonnie's first journey as a Trainer, and although she didn't make it past the first round at the Pokemon League, it was still a big step forward for her as a trainer), but also excited to be on another journey of sorts, and to be seeing his old friend Brock once more. Serena looked quite glum: "Such a shame" she spoke softly, "to be leaving Ash's mom and sunny Palet behind us already, I was feeling quite at home there."

"Don't get too comfortable Miss Serena" Misty quipped, "You're still only thirteen." Serena was slightly offended at that remark but took it in good humour as she began to skip merrily with Ash beside her.

"Oh, by the way" she began, "would anyone like some of my Macarons when we stop for afternoon tea." Most of them nodded in agreement and Braixen excitedly barked his approval. "Ok little guy" she said, patting his tail, "not too long now." Ash smiled at his girlfriend, realising he was one of the luckiest guys alive.

They made good progress as the afternoon wore on, and were only a few miles from their destination when they stopped for afternoon tea a little after 3:00. They stopped on the edge of a clearing in the middle of the forest through which they were travelling. Serena brought out her macorons to the excitement of people and pokemon alike, while Ash sat down under a large oak tree on the edge of the forest. Not long afterward he had company: "So how you doing Ash?" a soft voice spoke; without even looking up, Ash immediately knew it belonged to May.

"I'm doing good May, although I do wish I could've been with my Mom and Professor Oak a little longer, how about you?"

"I'm good thanks, but I know what you mean about parents. I've been travelling for so long in Unova, and I only had two days at home with my parents before I had to come here…no offense" she smiled sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it" Ash laughed, "and by the way, congratulations on winning your first grand festival, that's quite an achievement".

"Thanks Ash, but I must admit I've had a lot of help along the way, including from you" she finished, staring at Ash with that beautiful smile of hers. She continued to stare for some time, with Ash nervously looking to and fro, before she regained her composure: "Oh, by the way, did I tell you about Max?"

"No, what's going on?"

"He's gone on his first journey as a trainer, in Hoenn, which is great but I didn't get to see him when I came back home. It must be more than a year since I've seen him last."

"That sucks huh. But that's great he's going on his own journey, how's he doing?"

"Well he's got seven badges so far, so one more and he will be able to compete in the Hoenn league, and it's still three months away, so he shouldn't have too much trouble."

"That's great!"

"It's not is it Ash?" She responded sarcastically. They both began to laugh, "Ok, I know I've got to get a bit better at conversation" Ash replied, feeling embarrassed.

"I'm only kidding Ashie boy" May responded cheerfully, as she playfully nudged her ribs into Ash's side, and pinched his cheek. The gesture didn't escape Serena's attention, who was sitting some distance away in the clearing. May looked just in time to catch her piercing stare. Ash couldn't help but smirk. He then caught site of his girlfriend whispering something into Braixen's ear.

Not long after, they were on their way again. It was a little after 5:30 when they came out of the forest, and saw the harbour and a long pier in front of them, just to their left; at the side of the pier, about half way down, they saw the medium sized plane that would be taking them on their long trip to Johto. It looked like it would hold somewhere between 50-70 passengers, by Ash's estimate. He also had a fair amount of experience with these types of aircraft, having travelled on them several times before. There was already a small group of people walking down the pier towards the aircraft. "Picka-Picka-Picka-Picka!" Pickachu exclaimed happily, standing upright on Ash's shoulder. "Hey, you excited aren't you buddy?" Pickachu always reacted that way when he was excited, and he had been on several flights with Ash in the past, so he knew what the plane meant. In Ash's experience, Pikachu enjoyed flying, especially across the sea, where he could look at the vast blue ocean, and the sea pokemon who sometimes travelled above the sea surface (much like Ash himself). A number of the other pokemon looked excited also. "I think Psyduck is really excited" Misty giggled.

"How can you tell?" Clement asked.

"Because he always starts to repeat himself and he gets louder as well."

"Have you had much success with him in battle?" asked Ash.

"Well, he's no superstar, but he's certainly gotten a lot better than he used to be, but the truth is it doesn't bother me too much, I just like him for the companionship."

"That's great Misty. He was always one of your favourite pokemon wasn't he?" Misty blushed, before giving an innocent nod.

They stood around, basking in the late afternoon sun for ten minutes or so, before walking down the pier. They revelled in the cool afternoon breeze, and the beautiful horizon, as they strolled down the pier; Bonnie was riding on Clement's shoulders; Pikachu and Braixen were doing the same with Ash and Serena respectively, who were walking hand in hand with one another; while Misty and May were bringing up the rear, with May skipping along happily and her beautifly hovering just above her.

When they reached the entrance to the craft, on the right hand side of the pier, they were asked by a middle aged man for their tickets, which they each presented in turn. Moments later, they were all on the craft, where most of the other passengers had now taken their seats. Serena took her seat next to Ash, squealing with excitement. Minutes later the plane began to move down the runway, which was over a strip of land at right angles with the pier. It was little bit of a rough take off, partly due to the relatively small size of the aircraft, but they were soon safely in the air, as Ash savoured in the rush of adrenaline he got from the take off, and the knowledge that he was on another adventure, with his best friends by his side.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was a pleasant day in Kanto as Jesse, James and Meowth entered the grounds of James' grandparents "cottage." After several minutes of navigating their way through the complex, they eventually found the main entrance and rang the bell. They had to wait a minute but eventually the door was opened, on the other side was James' Nanny, a pleasant old lady. "My dear James!" She exclaimed with delight, "Grandmother and grandson are finally reunited." "It's been too long nanny" James replied graciously. "And I see you've brought your two friends along again" she continued. "That's right, the same old gang." "Hello Madam, how do you do?" Jesse responded formally.

"I'm doing well thankyou young lady, but much better now that James is here." All of a sudden, there was a flash of light coming from Jesse's bag: it was one of her pokemon coming out, and she didn't have to guess who: "Wobberfett!"

"Oh", nanny was startled and began to lose her footing, but James was there to break her fall. "Thankyou James, and who is this blue, blubbery friend of yours?"

"That's Jesse's Wobberfett, he's being travelling with us for a long time now, and he has a habit of coming out of his pokeball."

"And speaking at inappropriate times" Jesse added. Wobberfett seemed saddened that he had caused trouble, as he began to rant: "wobber-wobber-wobber", "it's ok big guy" Nanny assured him, "Would you like to come in and have some lunch?" "Wobber-wobber" he responded cheerfully, while Jesse and James politely agreed to come in.

Once inside Wobberfett no longer had to shield his eyes from the harsh sunlight. Jesse, James and Meowth sat down on the couches placed in the front lounge room, where the windows were drawn to keep the harsh, early summer sun out. Wobberfett has wandering around excitedly. It seemed fascinated by pretty much everything, from the antiques, to the fine cutlery and jewellery, but most of all it seemed fascinated by the pictures hanging on the wall of James as a boy, taken during his childhood visits to the mansion. As was the case this time around, he always went during the summer, which in James' mind, added to his fondness of those childhood memories, as they were not only good times, they were usually sunny ones as well.

When they were certain that Nanny has nowhere nearby they began to discuss their plan. "Ok" Jesse began, "so we're just going to stay for a day, maybe two tops, then we'll leave with your Chimecho and the rest of the Pokemon that are in good enough shape, and we'll catch a ride to Azalea town in Johto where the twerp and his Pikachu are staying at the moment." Meowth nodded in approval.

"Why's Ash in Johto?" James inquired.

"Because he's gone there to celebrate the big twerp Brock's 18th birthday. Apparently it's going to be a pretty big party."

"The big twerp, eighteen already" James lamented, "they grow up so fast" he looked on the verge of tears.

"Hey" Meowth screeched, "don't go soft on us James, this is our best chance ever of getting the Pikachu, this time we have the element of surprise because it's been so long since we attacked them last." He slapped James to make sure the message sunk in. "Ouch" James squealed. "Is it really that important?" James continued, "would our lives really be any better? I don't think so, especially not with the times I fear are coming upon the world now."

"What times?" Jesse enquired, "the world looks pretty calm to me, at least it was when I woke up this morning."

"Well I'm afraid it's unlikely to last."

"Why James?" Jesse and Meowth were both pressing him now. James wanted so badly to let someone know what he had overheard at team rocket headquarters the week before, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it: "Um…nothing, just a feeling I get, the way we're using up the Earth's resources that's all." They both stared at him in stunned disbelief.

"Since when are you an environmentalist" Jesse responded mockingly.

"Yeah" Meowth chipped in "Mr I grew up in a huge mansion, who's got this so-called cottage which could house about a thousand people, since when is the suffering of the world such a big deal to you?"

"I think you're both being prejudiced and unfair, but regardless, times change, and there are some things no man or pokemon can escape, no matter how privileged."

They began to hear footsteps: it was Pop-Pop. "Pop-Pop" James exclaimed, it's good to see you again.

"Hello there James and team-rocket" the old man responded, "long time no see." He then put his arms around James and greeted him warmly, but James got the sense that he was not entirely thrilled to see them. "Now James" he continued, "I hope your friends don't mind if I steal you for a few minutes, there's something I would like to talk to you about."

"No problem Pop-Pop" James responded nervously, as his grandfather led him upstairs to a private room. James feared he had somehow overheard part of their conversation, although he was almost certain he had been too far away to hear anything to incriminating.

His grandfather showed him into a large study, with crimson carpets, a large fireplace, and portraits of the family's ancestors hanging on the walls. In the middle of the room were two armchairs, opposite one another. He offered James the one further from the fireplace. "What would you like to discuss with me Pop-Pop?" James asked inquisitively.

"To know what you're going to do with the rest of your life" he replied in a fairly harsh tone. James began to feel ashamed. "Ok I know I haven't been a great success like my forbears but I guess I still don't know what I would like to do…I guess I'm still trying to figure it out."

"Well the clock's ticking." After an awkward pause, he spoke again: "look, I'm not trying to be mean about it James, you know how I feel about you, and I'm not trying to put an unrealistic amount of pressure on you, but you're not a kid anymore, in a month you'll be twenty nine, and next year you'll be thirty. Life has to begin at some stage. These next few years or so could be some of the best of your life, the time where you can still enjoy your young age, but more importantly begin to step into your destiny, you've got a lot to offer, you just don't seem to be able to see it yet."

"Well, I have got some pretty big shoes to fill."

"Listen, I don't care about any of that family legacy stuff- your father and uncle have always been more concerned with that nonsense-, but I'm looking at you as an individual, and the potential I see in front of me. Start becoming a man and showing other people what you have to offer and stop messy around like a kid playing mean pranks on children and stealing their pokemon."

"Well we don't do that as often these days, although I should mention it is sometimes a requirement of our line of work."

"Then maybe it's time you found a new line of work, and as for you not stealing as many these days, I think we both know that's a lie."

"What do you mean?" James retorted.

"I think we both know what I mean. You think I'm silly boy" he giggled callously, "Let me guess, you and your crew came here not only hoping to get Chimecho back, but also to steal the other pokemon your grandmother and I are taking care of, at least the ones that are well enough to be of any use to you." James didn't respond, he had been caught, but the most devastating part for James was when his grandfather began to shake his head in disgust. He felt he had to say something to justify his actions. "I don't want to do it, but those two can give me so much grief."

"Well grow a backbone for once James!" Or if you can't manage that than perhaps you should show them the door, so to speak. Besides, I don't think that team rocket is any good for you, and I'm sorry I didn't say it last time, then maybe you wouldn't have wasted another three or more years of your life." James was on the verge of tears now. "I'm only saying this for your own good, sometimes we wander down the wrong path and it takes a little more than just a few words to get us back on the right course. If your friends really mean that much to you, than you've got to start being more authoritative, telling it like it is you know. I know you've got a good heart James and a lot to give, but you need to start being wiser when it comes to selecting your friends."

"You don't understand Pop-Pop, it's not what you think it is. People seem to have this idea that if only I wasn't associating with Jesse, Meowth and team rocket, that I would be a really good guy, but that's not how it is, I make my own choices and my own mistakes. But yes, I will think about leaving team rocket, for you Pop-Pop. The truth is, this past week I've already been considering leaving, but Jesse and Meowth are my best friends, and I'll always be loyal to them as long as I have breath."

"That's what I love about you James, your honesty, passion, and above all your fierce loyalty. I just wish sometimes that you could associate with better people that's all." With tears streaming down his hairy face. "Don't worry, we'll sort something out won't we" he concluded, as he came over to James' armchair, giving him a big bear hug. James just sat there with a sombre expression, before replying with a formal: "of course Pop-Pop, as you wish."

"That's my fine young man" he replied enthusiastically.

With that, they both left the study, and went down to meet the others.

They found Nanny in the large kitchen, where Jesse was always tucking into her lunch, while Meowth and Wobberfett were eating pokemon food. James brought Inkay out and invited him to eat, which he seemed more than happy to. "James your Nanny is the best cook, you've got to try out this chicken."

"Yes I know Jessie, I know all too well. Thank you so much for all this Nanny" he said warmly to his grandmother as he took his seat to eat. But I think we should be going by nightfall, that's if Chimecho is ready to go."

"Oh Chimecho has been fine for a long time now, I think it had almost given up on you ever returning, but I kept telling him you would be back. I'll take you up to his room after lunch, he'll be so excited to see you."

"But I thought we were going to stay one night James?" Jesse pressed.

"Well unfortunately I've checked the flight schedule and we won't be able to catch our flight to Johto tomorrow if we stay the night. There's no one who loves Nanny and Pop-Pop and this cottage more than I do, but I'm afraid that's the way it's got to be."

"What are you lot doing in Johto" Nanny asked.

"On holiday of course" Jesse answered. "All team rocket members get one holiday a year, and this is ours."

"Speaking of that James, have you thought about making an honest lady out of the beautiful Jesse here?" James was completely embarrassed. "No, Jesse and I aren't like that Nanny." Jesse had her own thoughts on the issue, but it was a far more encouraging response than the one he gave last time his grandmother had asked him that question, when he said he would rather die.

"I don't know my sweet little James" Nanny pressed, I get a feeling there's something special between you two." There was an awkward silence for some time afterward.

When lunch was ready, Nanny led them up to a bedroom on the third level of the mansion. The room had windows on two sides and on one side looked out to the front courtyards and gardens of the estate, as well as the front gate through which they had earlier entered. Lying in a small bed in front of that window was Chimecho, which was just as James remembered it. It appeared asleep but when James approached the bed it began to move around and when it saw James its eyes lit up: "Chime-Chime-Chime!" it exclaimed. James' eyes began to fill with tears, Chimecho was always one of his favourite pokemon: "Chimecho, I love you" he exclaimed wrapping the little bell-like pokemon in his arms, and beginning to cradle it gently. His grandparents had tears in their eyes as well. "That's the James I remember" his grandfather said softly.

"I told you he never left us" his wife responded, "you just need to know how to bring him out."

"Right."

Late that afternoon, they all said their goodbyes as James, Jesse, Meowth and Wobberfett strolled out through the door they had entered only hours earlier, this time with Chimecho on James' shoulder. As they exited the front gate, James looked back at the home where he had spent most of the happiest days of his life and declared: "From this day onward I'm going to be somebody, somebody who I can look at in the mirror and not be ashamed of."

"Yeah, good luck with that you purple haired scallywag", Meowth responded sarcastically, patting James on the back. "That'll be the day."

"Yes…it will be", he replied.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The lights of Azalea town were now in sight as Ash looked out of the window to his right. They had been flying for about four hours now and he was eager to land and get some rest, before seeing his old friend again. Serena and Bonny had already fallen asleep, as May and Misty continued to chat with one another, while Clement was his usual alert self, as he turned away momentarily from one of his hand held gadgets to let Ash know they were going to be landing soon. Moments later, the pilot confirmed that they would be landing in two minutes.

Just a few minutes later they were leaving their seats. They found themselves at another harbour similar to the one they had left. It was a warm night, but a cool sea breeze brought some relief for Ash and his companions. They came to a road which would lead them into Azalea town, and called for a taxi. There was not a taxi bigger enough for all of them, so they caught two separate ones: Ash, Serena, and Misty in one; May, Bonnie and Clement in the other. They asked to be taken to the pokemon centre, where they were going to be lodging. About twenty minutes later, after navigating a small amount of late night traffic, they arrived at the Azalea town Pokemon centre on the West side of town. They were greeted by a kind nurse Joy and offered a late dinner, but Ash, exhausted and eager to get a good night's rest before his big day tomorrow, politely declined and headed upstairs to his room. All of the others, on the contrary, decided to stay downstairs and eat. It wasn't that Ash wasn't a little tempted by the food, but he was just so eager to meet his old friend the next day, in addition to meeting Kurt to discuss the GS ball.

Sure enough, it didn't take Ash, or Pikachu, long to fall asleep, and they both slept like logs. Clement had to wrestle Ash awake the next morning, "Huh, what you doing Clement" he responded belligerently, "Sorry Ash, but it was hard to wake you up, I had to call your name for more than a minute before you responded at all. It's already after 9:00, and I thought you would like some breakfast before meeting Kurt. I think he was expecting you by 10:30." For a moment Ash was too dazed to remember what he was supposed to be doing, but suddenly the lightbulb in his head switched on: "Oh, that's right, thanks Clement, I'll be down in a moment."

After scoffing down a breakfast consisting of bacon, Eggs and Jam toast, Ash was on his way to the north-west side of town to pay Kurt a visit. Clement accompanied him, while the girls were going to do some shopping in the centre of town. After a half hour or so, Ash and Clement arrived at Kurt's home. They walked to the door and knocked. They soon got an answer. The old man took a quick glimpse of each of them, and then began to look at Ash inquisitively: "have you and I met?" He asked curiously.

"Yes we have, I'm Ash, Ash Ketchum, we met a few years ago when I gave you the GS ball and helped you save those slowpoke." After a brief pause, the man's eyes lit up: "Ash Ketchum! Yes of course I remember you, I'm happy to see you again, you bring your young golden-haired friend in and we'll have a chat and a bite to eat don't you say?"

"I'd love that Sir, thank you." Clement also replied with a formal "Thank you very much Sir." Kurt seemed in quite a pleasant mood, perhaps the GS ball dilemma had not gotten to him as much as Professor Oak, Ash surmised internally. Kurt brought out a large plate of sandwiches: chicken on one half and salmon on the other, and another plate with cookies. Ash and Clement were very grateful, but it wasn't long before Ash got what he had come for, as Kurt started talking, "So how are you going with your journey young man?" he asked enthusiastically.

"I've actually taken a break for the last two years; I guess after coming so close to winning the Kalos league, it felt like the right time to sit back and ask myself a few of the tough questions you know?"

"And have you answered any of them?" Ash had to think hard about that, the truth was he wasn't really sure. "I guess I've answered a couple of them, just not all of them."

"hmmm" Kurt appeared intrigued, "You know my grandaugher Macy went through something similar after she lost the final of the Johto league around nine months back." Ash was worried he had come across as rude, he had completely forgotten about the girl who he remembered trying to woo him when he fought in the Johto league. "She felt a little disheartened for a while after her defeat and thought she needed some time away, but she came to me maybe two months ago saying she felt reenergised and that she was about to start a new Journey in Kanto, and you could tell she wasn't lying either: you could see it written on her face. And she said something interesting, she said she found no rest in her idleness, that while it was good for her to take a little time away just to think things through and know the feeling of not having responsibilities, if only for a short time, ultimately it reached a point where doing nothing was doing more harm than good. She also realised being a trainer was still a passion of hers, so she seems as happy as Larry now, and I don't want to intrude on your life Ash, but I feel as if you've been away for a little too long now, you seem to lack some of that energy you had the last time you were here. It doesn't mean you have to be a trainer, but whatever it is that you feel you're called to do, just get out and do it before it's too late, you're a great talent and a very kind young man, and the world could use someone like you right now, so it would be a shame to see it go to waste."

"What do you mean by 'the world could use someone like you right now' what's going on in the world that's any different to, I don't know, the last time I was here?" Kurt had a look of fear in his eyes.

"This isn't to do with the GS ball is it" Ash pressed.

"I…I don't know for certain but there are signs, and the signs are beginning to look more and more troubling the more I investigate. There are ancient texts that talk about a special pokeball containing a prophecy, that's to be revealed at a certain point in time…during the middle of a calamitous war."

"But there is no war" Clement noted, "And there don't seem to even be signs of war at the present time. What leads you to think we're living in that time, there are a number of reasons the GS ball may be glowing and it's probably not even the same ball."

"I thought the same way as you just one week ago young man" Kurt lamented, "Just one week ago things seemed so much simpler." He took a deep breath, "Ok, this is why I believe this is the ball: Because the text – 'Prophecies and relics of ancient people and legendary pokemon' – reveal a ball of gold and silver will reveal the prophecy concerning the great war. A war which will begin with an invasion of pokemon from the heavens, shielded by great three limbed animals from the sky, animals of silver. All the lands will be laid waste, but Kanto will be last of all, and it will not be completely destroyed. Just as defeat seems imminent the king will come out of his slumber, the one taken from the ancient royal bloodline, he will be chosen by the guardian pokemon of Kanto, and summoning the guardian pokemon from the ball of gold and silver, the king will lead the people and pokemon of Earth to victory. The pokemon from the heavens will be turned from darkness to light, the great three limbed animals will tumble to the earth, along with the great menace, who will also come from the royal bloodline, and all things will be restored as they were." Ash and Clement looked on, stunned by these words. "But how do you know we're living in those times?" Clement asked. "Because the prophecy also says these things will take place in a time of great peace and prosperity, I think it goes: "Soon after the dawn of the age of enlightenment, in a period of great indulgence, when they say there is peace and security, the war will then come upon them."

"I'm sorry Sir, but I think we should try to look at this scientifically. Firstly, we still don't know if this is the right pokeball, it may in fact be that people made these balls in preparation for the events you just described, like a form of self-fulfilling prophecy; second, I would ask you how many other prophecies, if any, have actually come true, and lastly, soon in their language could mean hundreds of years so even if it were true, these events could still be many, many years away. I mean yes, the GS ball is acting oddly but there's nothing in the prophecy about that, and you've only had it for a few years. Do you know who the previous owners of the ball were, and did they ever report it behaving strangely?"

"Don't get me wrong you two, I'm not saying I know this is the ball, let alone that these events are going to happen tomorrow, it may in fact be that these events are quite a few years off yet, even if they are true. But let me tell you this, if this happens in either of your life times, the world is going to need more people like the two of you to give people comfort, hope and direction, especially you Ash", he looked directly at Ash now; it was clear he was very serious about what he was saying."

"I think you underestimate my friend Clement, he's the smartest person I've ever met."

"Don't think I meant any offense towards your friend, I just said I think he's a fine young man, but you my boy are a one of a kind; I have a good sense for such things. Also, why do you think that Ho-oh has appeared to you three times, now tell me that? I'll tell you why: because you're special, start realising it. To acknowledge it doesn't mean to lose yourself. It doesn't even mean you're better than others, it just means you've being chosen for a special purpose, and it's up to you to find what that purpose is." A few moments later he left for another part of the house. A minute or so later he returned with the GS ball itself, currently its usual gold and silver colour. He approached Ash: "Here, I want you to take this. I think it's best in the hands of someone whom fate has marked as special." Ash was getting overwhelmed by this turn of events, but he managed to keep his composure.

"Ok Kurt, if this is what you want, I'll take it. I think that maybe I'll give it to Professor Oak once I've returned to Palet." Kurt looked slightly disappointed: "If that's what you wish, but I still feel like you're a better choice."

"If it's my destiny, it will be mine, so I suppose it doesn't matter much either way."

"Right you are Ash." As Ash took the ball it gave a small glow, Ash started shouting in excitement but Kurt did not seem to think much of it…"Hmmm, interesting, quite interesting" he responded in a somewhat dry tone.

After finishing their lunch, Ash and Clement departed from Kurt's home and headed back towards the pokemon centre. It was bright and sunny, and the Elm and Oak trees were in full bloom, their leaves in their early summer transition from light green to dark green. There was even a small group of children playing and laughing down the road, but for all of that, things didn't feel the same to Ash as when he had walked down the same road earlier that morning, and he sensed they never would be.

"I've got to say Ash, if he wants you to become a trainer again, I'm not sure that was the best way of motivating you, am I right?"

"You can say that again, I think that as brilliant as he is, unfortunately Kurt has spent a little too much time on his own. And besides, Professor Oak didn't look like a man who thought the world was about to be thrown into chaos when we spoke with him yesterday."

"Besides Ash, I have a very strong belief that men determine their own fate. And you know what I say: 'the future is now thanks to science.'"

"Or the future is now thanks to prophecy" Ash responded. "Oh well, I guess we'll know soon enough. But I'm not going to let it stop me from living my life. I've got almost everything I need now. And as for the missing piece, I will start my journey again, once this trip is over and I've visited home again. And I will be a pokemon master, just you wait and see."

"Welcome back Ash Ketchum."

"It feels good to be back."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

From Kurt's house they headed back to the pokemon centre, where they found the girls. "How did you guys do?" Misty inquired.

"Not too badly" Ash responded.

"Well has Kurt got any theories on the GS ball?"

"Yeah you could say that. Whether or not Clement and I agree with them is another matter." All the girls were now giving them curious glances, but going on the irritated expression on Ash's face, they soon realised it was unwise to pursue the matter further.

"Hey guess what you guys" May prompted.

"What?" Ash responded, somewhat obnoxiously.

"I was just speaking with Max…" she started giggling with excitement, Ash wished she would just spit it out. "Max just got his eighth badge, that means he can now enter the Hoenn league, isn't that great?"

"Now that actually is good news May, send Max my congratulations. God knows I need some good news today."

"I also send Max my heartfelt congratulations" Clement added.

"So what time are we meeting Brock?" Misty asked.

"Any time" Ash answered. I guess we should probably head over there when everyone's ready."

"Well it looks like everyone's ready to me" Misty replied. The others all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Great!" Ash said enthusiastically, "let's go and see our old friend, this is his day after all."

Not a minute later, they had all exited the pokemon centre and begun the relatively short walk to their old friend's new home. Ash hoped the visit would be better than the one he had paid to Kurt earlier that day, especially given that he planned to ask Brock for a pokemon battle, not to mention the party that was to come that night. With these thoughts in mind, Ash began to walk more briskly, brimming with excitement.

Around fifteen minutes later, they reached the address, which sat near the top of a hilly road near the Western edge of town, someway south of Kurt's residence. It was a two story villa, with Cyprus trees planted in the front garden and an adjoining driveway. They walked to the door, which lay on a front porch, and Ash rang the bell. Moments later, there was an answer: it was a pretty young woman, perhaps slightly younger than Brock. She had an oval but slightly chubby face, with dark brown hair and bright green eyes. "Let me guess, you're Brock's friends?"

"That's right" Serena responded. "Is he home?"

"Yes he is, hang on one moment." Moments later, they heard someone coming down the stairs and approaching them: it was Brock. "Ash!" And Misty too! You've finally joined me here in Johto; I was beginning to wonder if the day would ever come."

"Of course it was going to arrive Brock" Ash answered. "We're your best friends" he had a tear in his eyes, as he began to hug his old friend. Misty soon joined them.

After they introduced the rest of the gang, Brock introduced the girl who had answered the door. "Guys, I would like to introduce Sara, my girlfriend."

"So you finally did it Brock, well done." Ash congratulated him.

"Right back at you buddy" he replied with a big grin.

"Now there is something I must ask you Brock: Are we going to have a pokemon battle or what?"

"You bet Ash, join me in the backyard."

"Are the rest of us invited Brock?" Sara inquired.

"Naturally. I thought that went without saying. When it comes to pokemon battles, everybody's welcome to spectate."

They gathered in the large backyard, which was planted with oak trees and bushes around the edges. Beyond the back fence, the hills beyond Azalea town could be seen. Clement decided to officiate the battle: "These are the battle rules: It will be a three-on-three battle. Both trainers are allowed to substitute pokemon. And once all three of one trainer's pokemon are unable to battle, the match is over. Now let's begin."

Ash had decided on his three pokemon: Pikachu, Charizard and Hawlucha, but he had no idea which pokemon Brock would select. Would he use old ones or new, or would he opt for a mix of old and new like Ash himself was? Ash decided to start with his trusty Pikachu. Ash was worried brock might use a steel type, like his steelix, but instead his first choice was a somewhat surprising one: "Crogunk, I choose you. I thought it would be good to start off with neither pokemon at an advantage."

"Whatever you say Brock." Ash said cheerfully. "But remember that my Pikachu is a very high quality pokemon."

"I wouldn't underestimate Crogunk. I hasten to add, it's been a long time since you've seen him battle."

Finally, the battle was underway. "Pikachu, quick attack" It landed, but Crogunk was back up on its feet quickly.

"Crogunk: poison sting" it landed too, Ash though Pikachu would have been quick enough on its feet to avoid that attack, but it appeared the time away from battling had taken a toll, but Ash wasn't going to take it lying down: "Pikachu, electroball" Pikachu had not yet learnt electroball when he and Brock finished travelling together in the Sinnoh region, and he couldn't resist showing off, "Give it all you've got Pikachu!" Crogunk was able to dodge in time, "Again Pikachu electroball!" This one went terribly wayward, smashing a window.

"Hey, this stuff costs money you know" Sara shouted.

"Oh who cares" Ash retorted, "we've all got heaps of money between us, and if need be I'll pay for it with the money on my card. Pikachu, thunderbolt", "Pika-Chu!" Pikachu used all its strength, and his thunderbolt this time struck Crogunk, but it was clear the thunderbolt lacked some of its usual punch. It was simply too much for Pikachu on top of the two electroballs: he was running short on energy and electricity. Crogunk made a swift recovery as Brock called the next move: "Crogunk: Mudball" Pikachu was too weak to evade and the ball of sludge hit him right on the chest, he was now further weakened. He managed to stagger to his feet but by that stage it was too late: "Crogunk: poison touch" Brock's pokemon learnt in with its hand and stung the already staggering Pikachu.

"Pikachu is unable to battle, the winner is Crogunk."

Ash could not believe Pikachu had lost to a Crogunk fighting with such basic moves; something was seriously wrong. "Ash" it was Brock: "Clearly Pikachu is not in battle-ready condition, and it would seem you're not either."

"What are you talking about?" Ash retorted.

"Your battle strategy was overly erratic. We both know you're smarter than that. Come on Ash, seriously!" Ash was feeling humiliated, but he had to regain his composure.

"Ok, Hawlucha, I choose you! "Ok, let's not mess around, this time I've got the type advantage: Hawlucha, wing attack" Ash's second pokemon swooped down fast and caught Crogunk. Knowing Crogunk was already weakened from the last battle, Ash seized his opportunity, "Hawlucha, high jump ki…" he was suddenly interrupted, "Crogunk, return" Brock had called him back.

"What! I was so close!" Ash whined.

"I know, that's why I called him back. I'm not giving you any easy victories Ash, if you want to be a great trainer again, you can't take shortcuts." Those words still stung Ash, why was he still a pokemon trainer? "I should be a pokemon master!" he screamed internally, but Brock could sense his friend's angst. "We both know Ash that you didn't just come here to reminisce about old times: I know you want to get back on the horse and become a pokemon master. That's why I can't just give you a friendly little battle. I'm using a strategy which gives you a chance to show what you've got, but which also challenges you. Now, would you like to calm yourself and continue?"

"Yes I would Brock, let's continue." Brock now brought out his Sudowoodo. Things were now set up perfectly: Sudowoodo was a rock type, and Hawlucha a flying and fighting type. Rock types are strong against flying types, but weak against fighting types.

"Hawlucha, karate chop" the move appeared powerful against Sudowoodo, as Ash had expected, but it was not enough to knock out the freshly drawn pokemon, and after a few seconds, Sudowoodo got back on its feet, "Sudowoodo, slam."

"Hawlucha, dodge", Hawlucha was able to fly away in time. Sudowoodo continued to have trouble getting to the birdlike pokmeon. "Hawlucha, aerial ace" Ash hoped it would do just enough damage to finish its opponent off. It hit, and Sudowoodo was knocked to the ground with significant force, but once again managed to find its feet, "Sudowoodo, flail" because of Sudomoodo's weakened condition, the move had more affect, and Hawlucha was hit with multiple blows. Ash tried another fighting type move in an attempt to finish his opponent off: "Hawlucha, High jump kick."

"Sudowoodo, block" Brock said it almost instantly, as if he was waiting for Ash to make that move. The block was effective. "Sudowoodo, rock slide" Ash called for him to dodge, but Hawlucha was largely unable to avoid the barrage of rocks which came his way. Hawlucha began to climb to his feet, staggering, Ash was unsure of what move to make next.

"Sudowoodo, rock throw" the small rock hit, but that was enough to send Hawlucha back to the turf and render him too weak to continue: "Hawlucha is unable to battle, Sudowoodo wins" Clement announced. Ash felt like he had let that one get away from him.

Ash then brought out his final pokemon: "Charizard, I choose you." Brock elected to keep Sudowoodo in the battle, for the time being at least. Once again, Brock let Ash make the first move, "Charizard, Dragon rage." The shock wave was a direct hit, Sudowoodo was now greatly weakened, but once again, he was able to get to his feet. Ash reasoned its energy level must be very low.

"Sudowoodo, Flail."

"Charizard, Dodge and use dragon claw" Charizard flew out of the way of Sudowoodo's erratic attacks, and slashed its opponent with a sharp claw to the lower body region. This time, Sudowoodo was not getting back up. "Sudowoodo is unable to battle, the winner is Charizard."

"Alright!" Ash cried. His passion and confidence were finally beginning to return.

"Don't worry" Brock conforted Sudowoodo, you did a great job, have a rest and we'll check you out in a little while okay." His pokemon wearily nodded its head in agreement, as Brock drew it back into its pokeball and brought out his final pokemon: "Geodude, I choose you." Ash began to hear that familiar deep voice, "Geodude-Geodude-Geodude."

"Finally" Ash exclaimed, we have a really good match on our hands."

"It's good to see you so enthusiastic; I was beginning to fear you had lost your love of battling. I guess not, at least not completely." Ash was surprised at Brock's comments: he felt he had fully regained his passion. Brock was now staring intently at his old friend, and it caught him off guard: "Geodude, rock blast" a series of rocks were now thrust in Charizard's direction, it was too late for Ash to tell him to dodge, and his pokemon copped the full brunt of the impact, taking multiple rocks to the chest, and others to the legs and lower body: they were all on target, Brock had trained his pokemon well, not surprisingly. Despite that early blow, Charizard still had a large amount of life left, and Ash decided to take advantage of that while he still could: "Charizard, flamethrower" It was a hit, but given the weakness of fire type moves against rock type moves, it was not enough to finish off geodude altogether, and Geodude soon recovered, after Brock checked he was ok to continue battling. Ash knew he needed at least one more powerful move to end the battle, and once he confirmed Geodude was ready to battle again, he wasted no time: "Charizard, skydrop"

"Geodude, dodge in now!" Brock shouted in desperation. He was able to get out of the way just in time, but Brock knew geodude was on track to be defeated at this rate, which meant he would have to put an already weakened Crogunk back into the battle against a fired-up Charizard. He did not fancy that prospect, so he had to think on his feet: "Geodude, bulldoze" the ground began to shake and rocks and dirt came flying out of the ground.

"Fly away Charizard" Ash commanded, but it took a couple of hits before it was able to get away and its speed had been compromised. "Charizard, seismic toss",

"Geodude, Earthquake." Ash and Brock gave their moves almost in unison. Geodude used its earthquake move and it knocked Charizard off balance before he was able to fly to a safe height. Brock reacted quickly to the situation. "Geodude, smack down, now!" Geodude hopped about frantically, towards Charizard who was now only 8-10 feet in the air, almost within striking range for Geodude.

"Fly away!" Ash shouted, but his speed and reaction times had been weakened and Geodude struck with a stone before he was able to get away. Charizard hit the ground with a big thud. After a few seconds, Ash realised Charizard was not getting back up…"Charizard is unable to battle, the winner is Geodude. That means the victory goes to Brock." Everyone gave their applause, including Ash, somewhat belatedly. He hated losing battles, especially ones where his pokemon were in winning positions. None the less, he went to congratulate his opponent.

"Congratulations Brock, there were two battles there where I thought I had you beat, but you were just too good."

"No Ash, I wasn't; and you were right, both your Hawlucha and your Charizard should have won those battles I'm guessing you're referring to. And you want to know why you didn't win?"

"Why Brock?" Ash asked softly.

"Because, like their trainer, they need to get back into the habit of regular training and battling. It doesn't matter how much natural ability a pokemon or trainer has, you can't miss the amount of time you and your pokemon have and expect to pick up where you left off. It's a pity too, that we couldn't have met up in your Kalos region days. They used to tell stories about how powerful you were during that period." Brock started to sound sentimental, "Oh well, when we get you trained up again, with your extra age and wisdom, I bet you will soon be even more powerful than you were then, that is if you want to be?"

"Why do you doubt me Brock? I told you I'm beginning to get my passion back."

"I don't know, it just didn't feel like the same Ash I remember." Kurt had said the same thing earlier that day.

"Well maybe I'm not. Sometimes you get to a point where you begin to realise that some things just aren't meant to be, besides I've got bigger things to worry about at the moment."

"Like girls?" Brock suggested condescendingly.

"Like you're one to talk."

"Yes I am actually Ash. I can teach you how to balance those things, if you will allow me to. One thing you need to bear in mind is it's not all about winning, and it's not all about you. Think how many people and pokemon you've met across your journey who are a little bit better for having known you. There are still more adventures to be had and more people and pokemon to meet. Just think, If you had quit after Misty left our group, we would never have met May and Max. And as for Serena, how many groups did you have to go through before you met her hmmm? Well that's a little bit like life, sometimes you have to go through a lot of different experiences and trials before you find just what you're looking for, before you can claim the victory. I feel like you have got a great destiny in front of you Ash, but you won't find it if you quit now. You're not meant to quit, I know it and everyone who knows you knows it. I don't know if you will ever become a pokemon master, but if you keep going people will remember you for something even more special: someone who would sacrifice himself for people and pokemon alike, who brought light into people's lives and made the world a brighter place. Sure you can sit back and say you've got almost everything you want and just be content, besides isn't it so much easier than having to go out and fail time and time again. But if you do Ash, so many will miss out on having a piece of you. That's just my opinion anyway." Ash was on the verge of tears now, "Brock, I'm so flattered by your comment, and I want you to know, you truly are the greatest person I've met in my life, I think all the things you just said about me, you should take them back and use them to describe yourself." Out of the corner of his eye, Ash could see a few of his friends looking a little offended by his comments.

"Ash, you're kind and gracious as usual, which leads me to my final question. Is there something that was bothering you earlier?" Ash decided to tell him, and the others, about his meeting with Kurt. He hoped Bonny wouldn't get too frightened. Brock didn't appear surprised: "I know, Kurt's rumours have been circulating through town over the past few days, it's gotten a few people on edge, but I think most are smart enough to distinguish fantasy from reality."

"That's like what I said." Clement interjected. "Put your trust in science."

"Whether you put your trust in science or not, I personally don't buy any of it. Few of those prophecies have even partially come true, and the GS ball has been rumoured to glow in the past. Besides, given that prophecies deal with very long time periods and aren't good at giving specific dates, I don't think it's something that people should allow to intrude on their day to day lives."

"It's still wrong!" Sara responded hotly. "There are children and other vulnerable people around town, it's not right to be scaring people over nonsense with nothing factual to back it up. In fact, I think I would go as far as saying it's grossly irresponsible."

"Why don't we all go inside and I'll make some macarons" Serena suggested kindly. "Also, some cold drinks might be good, I think we need to cool the temperature by a few hundred degrees or so. Most of the others laughed at her comments, but Ash had been thrown by the day's events: this day had turned out nothing like he'd expected. He just hoped Serena's macaroons and a lighter chat with his friends would begin to turn the tide.

After everyone had settled down in Brock and Sara's big living room overlooking the back yard, and had some cold lemonades and macaroons, they were all happier and more relaxed including Ash who also got a bit of extra attention from Serena, which on its own made his day. Talk soon turned to the coming night's festivities: "So how many people are going to be at your party Brock" Misty enquired.

"I'm bringing in loads of my friends from around town, as well as a number of trainers and other friends from outside of Johto. So in total, around 120 I think. I'm even having a nurse-joy dance performance; eight of the Joy's agreed to take part." They were in stitches, especially Ash "You're kidding Brock, you are the funniest, you know that right?" Brock giggled lightly.

"Hey, here's something you might be interested in Misty" he began, changing the subject, "in a few weeks, there's a gym leaders tournament in Silver City, but there are only two places open per region, so you're going to have to get in quick."

"You know, I think I would. Will you be competing Brock?"

"I will be, for Johto."

"But you're not a gym leader anymore are you?"

"Actually, in my spare time, that's exactly what I am. When I'm not tending to sick pokemon, I'm the Azalea town gym leader."

"Brock, is there anything you don't do?" May asked.

"Of course there is, tonnes of stuff. Everyone has their own talents, you've just got to work hard and use what you've been given." That got Ash thinking again: a recurring theme seemed to be that he had a responsibility to continue his journey. After his battle with Brock, he knew he wanted to be a trainer again and to one day become a pokemon master, but since his last defeat and all the time he had taken off afterwards, he wasn't sure if he could ever fully regain the passion he once had. A part of him still wished his calling was something less challenging, like spending the rest of his life with his Mom and Serena, as well as his pokemon and looking after all of them, and occasionally doing things like travel the world, meeting with friends old and new, and just battling for fun, but deep down he was beginning to see that it would not be that simple and that somehow he would have to find the will to keep on going. He had come to Johto to see if fate would lead him down one path or the other, and on this day, he was feeling the pull of destiny like on no other.

"Ash?" Misty asked for the fourth time.

"Oh, Misty, sorry I didn't hear. What were you saying?"

"I said would you and the others like to come with me and Brock to Silver City? I've decided I'm competing in the gym leaders world cup." Ash had been looking for an adventure just like this one: a few weeks or so traveling around Johto with old friends, and more time to clear his head and to see what direction fate took him in, if any. "Yes!" I, I mean we, would love that Misty, and I think it's great you're competing in this tournament."

"Great" Misty smiled, "maybe you should consider becoming a gym leader too Ash. You're better qualified than most of the others, except for me of course, and maybe Brock."

"What do you think of that you guys?" looking at Serena, Clement and Bonnie.

"Well", Clement began, "you certainly have the necessary skill level and you're unconventional style could give more conventional trainers an opportunity to add an extra ingredient to their battling recipe." Bonnie looked somewhat uncertain: "um…what Clement said, yep definitely, if that's what you want, go for it." Serena took longer to answer: "Well, it's your life Ash, it makes no difference to me, but I'll support you whatever you want to do."

"As long as you're there I'm happy." May was now looking dejected, but she tried to hide her emotions by turning her head away from Ash's direction.

"Of course I'll always be there Ash" Serena responded sincerely" you're my special guy." "Thank you Serena, you're the dearest thing in the world to me…well you, my mom and Pikachu of course."

"Pika-Pika" Pikachu responded happily. May could hardly bear it now. "But that being said, life wouldn't be the same without any of you guys, not even close, and looking at you all I feel so blessed and I think I can already feel within myself that I'm regaining my passion to continue my journey. Not so much because I love battling, but because of the love I feel for all of you and for all the pokemon here as well, and I wouldn't of had any of that if I'd given up, and you were right Brock, maybe there's a whole bunch of people and pokemon just as special waiting for me out there, and I can't let them down. I believe it's my destiny to continue my journey and meet every single one of them, and help them on their journeys as well, so as of tomorrow, when we leave Azalea town, I'm starting my training again. They all clapped loudly in applause, even May, although her applause was mostly feigned.

"I will say this much Ash", Clement added, "you could learn the art of thrift, expressing the same amount of information with fewer words, but for heart and soul, that was an A+ speech and I'm honoured to have been your mentor and your friend, and I hope we'll always be friends."

"You can count on it Clement. You all can."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The party was the spectacle Ash had imagined. The crowd took up both floors of Brock's villa. There were large, open rooms on both floors which made this possible without guests having to cramp into bedrooms. The girls were all dressed very nicely, Serena in particular (or so Ash thought), while him and the other guys were dressed decently, but not too formal. A popular hangout was the second floor balcony which looked out onto the backyard where Ash and Brock had battled earlier that day. Sure Ash liked having lots of cool friends, but he didn't feel comfortable in the company of this many people, and he was beginning to discover he was not a party type of person, unlike Brock who seemed completely at home. He moved from room to room, not truly feeling comfortable anywhere. He knew he wasn't destined to be a party planner. But soon something did arouse Ash's excitement, the GS ball was glowing again, this time even more brightly than Oak and Kurt had described. Rather than a blueish colour, it was now a mixture of blue and white. The colour was so intense it stung Ash's eyes each time he tried to stare at the ball.

May was hanging out on the balcony where quite a few of the guests had congregated, however she was in no mood for socialising. After a short time admiring the view and wallowing in self-pity, she turned around to go back inside. At the door was a boy around her age staring right at her with a smile on his face; she did not instinctively realise who he was, partially due to it being night time, but after a second or so, it clicked: it was Drew. "Drew" she spoke with a surprised but soft tone, "how about finding you here, I wasn't expecting you to come."

"Well Brock gave me the invite, and I thought it would be impolite to knock back a trainer of his calibre, so here I am."

"So nothing to do with me naturally."

"Of course not, I didn't even know you'd be here" he replied with a smirk. "I've got too much going on in my life to be worrying about girls I haven't seen forever."

"So how are you going with contests and all of that?" she enquired.

"Well as you would remember, I won the Kanto grand festival about six months back, and I just made the final over in Kalos. I here you won in Unova a few months back, I guess congratulations are in order."

"Well then where are they?" He looked perplexed. "I'm only kidding Drew." They both began to laugh. "And also congratulations on winning in Kanto and on making the final in Kalos, you're really excellent you know."

"You're not half-bad yourself." After a few moments of silence he spoke again: "hey May?"

"Yes?" she asked pleasantly.

"Would you like to have a dance?" She smiled at him before responding "Yes, I would. Besides, I haven't had the best day, so I could do with a cheer up."

They both went inside to a room on the same floor, where several others were already dancing. The DJ Brock had hired was playing a smooth, slow song which suited the occasion perfectly, at least as far as May was concerned. She was not very good at dancing but she felt comfortable in Drew's arms, and she loved the sensation of his arms pressing against her back, and hers against his. She also thought he looked handsome on the night. By the end of the song she nestled her head against his throat; he didn't seem to mind, as he gave a momentary smile. On the next song they had more fun: the song was called "on the road to Veridian City" and May and Drew both enjoyed it as they jumped up and down together. They were both fans of the next one: "you'll always be my best friend, but the one after that was one of May's personal favourites, she thought it was called: "together we make a promise", but she wasn't certain: she was not good with remembering songs even though she liked quite a lot of them.

Team rocket were full of excitement and optimism as they entered the party of "the big twerp." They knew the kids were now older and that their disguises needed to be up to scratch. They were confident they had pulled this off, with James dressed in a dashing James bond outfit, sunglasses included, while Jesse came in a striking princess Leia costume, braided hair included. As for Meowth, he just wore his same old disguise, which consisted of a coat and sunglasses, but they decided it would do, as long as he spoke in a different accent. They also planned to not always be together, as to arouse any suspicion about their true identities. There was no need to pretend they knew Brock, as the party was open to the public and the crowd was large. The plan was as it had always been: catch Pikachu, and anything else is a bonus.

When they got to the entrance they saw the door was open. They walked through it in search of their prize. They walked right past the twerp and his Pikachu on the staircase, but for the time being they played it cool and continued to walk past him. James turned back to him and introduced himself: "Bond, James Bond" Ash looked amused, "um…hey" he smirked and turned away.

"Little smartarse twerp, he wishes he looked like me" Meowth caught him over the mouth with his claw, "hey genius" he grouched, "just keep on walking and don't blow our cover."

"Why did you have to damage my beautiful face" he moaned.

Once upstairs they noticed a number of the other "twerps." There was that girl May who Jesse had had somewhat of an ongoing rivalry with back in the Hoenn days, with the green-haired twerp who had won a few of those contests she had been so passionate about.

"Oh well" she said to herself, I'm more of a showcase girl anyway." Soon James spotted the inventor kid and his little sister. And finally, Ms showcase herself, Serena. Jesse felt like going right at her, she had not recovered from losing that semi-final to her back in Kalos, but she was held back by James who had to exert great force to hold her back. They decided James would go out onto the balcony while Jesse stayed inside and Meowth went downstairs.

Soon ten minutes turned into twenty and they were still not making any progress. Once again, it was not as they had envisaged. James was chatting with a group of partygoers on the balcony when he noticed the big twerp come out, with a girl beside him. "Hey you guys" he spoke to the ones form Kalos, "how's the party?"

"I'm not sure it's really my thing" the inventor kid replied. "I think we're just happier in each other's company."

"Well you guys should come down, me and Sara are going to be doing a little bit of a duet" James shuddered inwardly, "Sara is pretty handy with a guitar you know and I'm not bad on vocals."

"Oh, I'd love to hear you sing" the little blond girl responded giddishly.

"Me too, the taller one who Jesse hated, added cheerfully. James wondered about what Pop-Pop had said. Maybe he could be better at choosing friends. As much as he liked Jesse and Meowth, secretly he envied friends like these, as goofy as they could be. He just didn't get it, if he was a pretty good guy at heart, how come he was so bad at making friends with good guys like these twerps; ever since he was a child he had had the same problem, a problem that had followed him into adulthood. But he conceded much of the blame lay with him: he just didn't make enough of an effort with people, except for those closest to him. He had a tear in his eye now, concealed by his sunglasses.

All of a sudden, the girl with the big twerp eyed him suspiciously, but he figured he didn't have anything to worry about: he had his glasses on and she couldn't possibly know him, so he kept a straight face and chatted a little more with one of the people next to him. But minutes later this girl still wouldn't take her eyes off him: "maybe she's a Bond girl" James theorised internally. But it was soon no laughing matter: "Excuse me" she began, "May I ask you a few questions?" James was now getting very nervous: "Well, yes but may I ask why?"

"It's just that you look familiar, I know I probably seem very rude, but you remind me a little of someone, I just need to check."

"Sara" the big twerp interjected, "don't do this. I know you take your police work seriously, but this is too much of an intrusion of other people's privacy."

"I'm sorry, there's just something about this guy."

"Very well" James conceded, "I'll take off my glasses." He removed them and no one reacted except her: "I think I know who you are." She said, now in a much less pleasant tone.

"Who is he Sara" the big twerp responded, "I don't recognise him." The other twerps nodded in agreement with him, "is he someone you have on record?"

"Just be thankful Brock that you have a girlfriend who can actually read faces, unlike you and your friends, for this is none other than James Steele, the master criminal from team rocket." They reacted with shock, "but it doesn't really look like him, are you sure?" James thought he should confess: "Ok Yes it's me" he admitted in his whiny voice.

"And let me guess" the ruthless girl continued, you're partner in crime Jesse Commins is here as well isn't she?"

"Hey!" a loud, high pitched voice shouted from the entrance to the balcony, "who gave you the right to reveal my last name, I have an image to uphold you know?"

"You can work on your image when you're in prison." Jesse snarled at her fiercely.

"What" the big twerp responded with shock, "that's Jesse, but it looks nothing like her!"

"Oh get a clue Brock. You wouldn't recognise me if I was walking down the street. I get not everyone is good at the same things, but why is it you guys are so bad at reading faces, it just doesn't make any sense!" she cried.

"Because they thought it would be funnier that way."

"Oh, ok, I guess I'll go with that." James' eyes were beginning to fill with tears now, he should've listened to his Pop-Pop; his crimes had finally caught up with him. But at least now he could go to the police and reveal some of the terrible things team rocket were planning, although he didn't know all the details yet. He had not even told Jesse or Meowth the things he knew, it was such a burden to carry.

Ash could hear a commotion upstairs, "let's check it out Pikachu"

"Picka."

Once they reached the balcony they saw a man a woman being led away by Sara. "What's going on?" he asked, "who are these guys?" Sara shook her head and led them inside.

"It's Jesse and James from team rocket" Brock answered him, "I know good disguises right?"

"I knew there was something strange about that James Bond guy. Now I know what it was: he was James." All of a sudden Ash's GS ball lit even brighter, given off a light that illuminated part of the room.

"Was that the GS ball?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, it's acting like crazy tonight." All of a sudden they heard a noise and saw another, fainter light. It was a pokeball, and out of it came Jesse's Wobberfett. It started going crazy: first it knocked Sara over and got in front of Jesse and James, its body set in a very defensive posture, "Wobber-Wobber-Wobberfett, Wobber-Wobber-Wobberfett!" it shouted angrily. This kept on going for some period, and it was not letting anyone near its friends. All of a sudden Ash was bowled over. When he got to his feet he made sure Pikachu was okay. He then looked back in the direction of team rocket and noticed their Meowth using its fury swipe to un-cuff them.

"Ok, this has gone far enough" Ash shouted. "You're going with Sara, and that's end of story. I'm sorry you're so upset but you can't keep going around stealing people's pokemon."

"We weren't going to do any such thing" Jesse appealed, "we haven't stolen any pokemon for like two years; we were just here to catch up with our old twerp friends, honest."

"Oh, don't bother Jesse" Meowth countered, "we can fight our way out of this, and if we're lucky, we might just get the Pikachu we came for as well. Come on let's do it!"

"Ok Inkay" James responded, "psybeam" it went for Pikachu but missed its target. Instead it hit Misty's Psyduck just as they were coming up stairs. "Psy" it moaned in agony.

"Psyduck no!" Misty cried, "are you ok?" It seemed bad for a short time, but then Misty began to smile, with a wicked grin on her face, "Oh you fools, you shouldn't have done that" she exclaimed, "Psyduck, use your confusion: "Psy-Duck" a beam of light came from Psyduck which took out Inkay and deflected into the others at the same time. Wobberfett could not react in time to do a counterattack. But they were not giving up, "Gourgeist, shadowball" a shadowy blob was launched in Pikachu's direction. This time it was a hit. Ash was infuriated: "Leave my Pikachu alone you gormless fools! Pikachu Electroball." It looked on target, but then: "Wobberfeet, counterattack" Jesse cried. It worked, it was coming back at them, but Ash was on song tonight: "Pikachu, dodge it." He got out of the way just in time. The battle was getting louder and May, Drew, Clement, Serena, Bonnie and Brock were all getting their pokemon out and beginning to join in. Ash was secretly beginning to enjoy himself, then all of a sudden the noise got considerably louder. With the tension of the battle and the noise being produced by the crowds watching on, it took them a few seconds to realise there was a sound coming from somewhere else. Crowds flooded out onto the balcony, Ash with them. He first looked straight out onto the backyard, beyond the back fence: there was nothing, but then he turned right, towards the town, and it was there he saw horror. There was a huge machine: perhaps fifty or sixty feet tall crashing to the Earth. For a minute everyone stood around, staring in the direction of the town, many with fear written on their faces, some were even crying, all waiting to see what happened next. Only moments later it stood upright and began to walk through the buildings, and it was heading right for the pokemon centre. The crowds began screaming and fled from the party. Several people were getting knocked over in the commotion. But Ash continued to watch. He noticed one thing in particular, it had three limbs.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As the screaming and panic continued, Ash continued to stare in horror at the destruction taking place, frozen with shock. He suddenly felt a pull around his waist: "Come on Ash, we've got to go" it was Brock. They went and quickly rounded up the others, except for May.

"Where is she?" Ash cried out.

"I saw her with Drew" Misty answered, they were here on the second floor, but I don't know where they went."

They tried downstairs where they found the rooms almost empty except for a small few in the front loungeroom, who were hiding under chairs and tables, "get up" Brock said to them, that's not going to make any difference if it comes here."

They continued to search before hearing a call from Clement, "I've found them, they're at the front gate." Ash breathed the hugest sigh of relief of his entire life at that moment. They came through a few seconds later: "Sorry you guys, I told Drew I wasn't leaving my friends behind."

"Yeah, yeah Miss goody" he mocked her. "I saw the way you bolted."

"Yeah, no slower than you."

"Both of you stop it!" Brock screamed. "I'm trying to save us and anyone else I can. If we're going to do that, we need to function together as a team and as a unit."

"So where do we go Brock?" Ash asked. He thought about it briefly before answering: "we take my car, I know it will be a really tight squeeze but it's an emergency situation and I won't drive too fast. We need to go and get as many pokemon as possible from the pokemon centre. There weren't any nurse Joy working there tonight, so all those that survived the building crash should still be there in their pokeballs. We'll also need to get upstairs and get supplies if the staircase is stable enough."

"Why?" May asked. "Won't it take too much time, I thought we needed to escape."

"You won't survive in the wild in a dress and heals May" Drew mocked her again. "Unless you're planning on being topless and barefoot for the next year."

"We need food and water as well" Brock added. "Also, any weapons they keep in storage might be handy, as will the pokemon. Okay you guys, hurry up and let's get out of here!" Ash could see Brock making a good general.

The nine of them in the car together was an almost impossible squeeze, it was Brock driving, with Clement in the passenger's seat with Bonny on his lap, while the other six: Ash, Sara, May, Drew, Misty and Serena, all cramped against one another in the back three seats, but the one good thing about that was that each one of the people seated had only one person sitting on their laps. Serena was on Ash's lap, May on Drew's, and Misty on Sara's. Furthermore, the journey to the pokemon centre only took a few minutes in Brock's car.

When they arrived, they saw the huge tripod wreaking havoc further down the road, perhaps two hundred yards from their current position. They all sprinted into the pokemon centre, where they found a huge amount of damage: the power was out, wires were cut; almost all the tables and chairs were split into large chunks and there were poke balls scattered all over the room. Ash picked up as many as possible as did the others. They did not want to steal other people's pokemon but they had no way of contacting the owners, and the tripod was still laying waste to the town. Ash picked up around a dozen and placed each in his pockets, along with the GS ball. But some would fall out if he had to run: he needed his bag, and he promptly began to make for the staircase which was broken about half way up, but the gap between the two halves was quite small. He knew he could make it across. Brock followed him up: "hang on Ash, let me go first." Brock made the jump comfortably; Ash had a bit more trouble but was still able to make it to the other side, with Brock reaching out to make sure he didn't fall through the hole.

Once upstairs, they found part of the ceiling had collapsed and was now scattered throughout the hallway. The rest looked like it wouldn't last much longer either. They went to their rooms and picked up their bags along with the others'. Brock then made a brief detour looking for any weapons that might be kept in storage. He found a storage room but very little in the way of armour. There was only one gun, but Brock decided to take it anyway. They then returned downstairs. The jump was easier going down. Serena breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Ash return safely to the bottom of the staircase. They noticed Sara, Misty, May and Drew collecting supplies from the medicine cabinet, while Clement was keeping a close eye on Bonny near the front entrance, as well as keeping watch to make sure the tripod didn't return. "Come on guys, it's starting to get closer.

"Just one minute Clement" Brock answered. "We're almost ready."

A few minutes later, as Clement continued to give them the hurry up, they raced out of the damaged pokemon centre and back into Brock's car. The tripod has now within about 50 yards of them, continue to stomp on the surrounding buildings thoroughly, as to make sure that no one could escape. Brock did a quick U-turn back in the direction they had come from, then turned to the right, taking them in a Northerly direction and they were on their way.

The ride was quite uncomfortable, especially now that everyone had their bags with them, which were placed on the floor of the car, in front of them. There was almost total silence for the first ten minutes; then Brock, who was driving, finally spoke, "You guys, I should warn you, it's quite a long way to the next town and even if we get there, I'm not sure we're going to find any service stations, so there's a good chance we'll be walking sooner or later." Ash had not even thought of that possibility, he was not the best at thinking ahead, and given the current state of events and what he had been told by Kurt, he was not sure we wanted to.

"But where will we go Brock?" Misty asked anxiously.

"To silver City."

"But I don't think they're going to be having that tournament now Brock."

"Maybe not, but it's high in the mountains and near a large military base, so theoretically we'll be quite safe there."

"I'm not so sure." Misty responded. "But I guess it's our safest option at the moment."

"I hope this isn't happening in any of the other regions" Serena said anxiously. "it's so weird how just today you and Clement were talking about Kurt mentioning a war and now all this is starting. Speaking of which, did Kurt tell you anything else about this war?" Ash and Clement were anxious about revealing any more information, but eventually Ash couldn't hold it in any longer: "Yes, as a matter of fact he did." Ash went on to tell the others the full story, the response was predictable: "Oh no, no, no, no" Serena began to panic, what are we going to do, what are we going to do?" "Serena please!" Ash grabbed a hold of her. Drew had to do the same with May.

"Just relax. Remember the last things I said to you: Kanto will be safe for longer, which is where we're going, and in the end we're going to win."

"But at what cost? What about my Mom, she isn't there."

"Oh no!" Bonny cried, "Clement, what about our dad?"

"We can contact them on our phones whenever we like, and let them know what's happening" Clement answered. "If Kalos becomes unsafe, we should be able to get them to safety in time."

After she had calmed down, Serena spoke again, "Ash, you said Kurt gave you that pokeball. Why did he give it to you? Are you going to have something to do with helping us win the war?"

"I don't think I'm that special, but I believe the GS ball is calling out to someone special and I believe that person was at Brock's party tonight."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it started to glow a bright white colour, that's never been reported before."

"It could also be" Clement began "because the tripods were near. It could have been warning you about the danger. That would explain why the light got brighter closer to the event." The explanation was perfectly plausible, but Ash still wasn't sure. "Maybe Clement, oh well, hopefully we'll know soon enough. But regardless of which theory is correct, there's a king out there and we've got to get this ball to them before it's too late. That, along with ensuring our own safety and that of others, is now our main mission."

Most of them began to fall asleep soon afterwards, including Ash. Soon, only Brock and Sara were still awake. "They're all asleep now I think" Sara said. "It's hard for them, they're still young and they've had a really long day. This is terrifying for everyone, but they're still just kids. Do you think there's any way we can get news on what's happening everywhere else?"

"I'll turn the radio on low, but not for long, I don't want to wake the others if I can help it."

"Ok." Brock turned the radio on, right away there was news. Apparently most of Southern Johto had come under attack, including all the major cities and many towns and villages. But so far, only Johto had been targeted. There were also reports of so-called 'alien' pokemon coming out of the tripods but they were only early reports. At the conclusion of the report, Brock turned the radio off. "I guess that means we've still got some way to go before we get out of the immediate danger zone" Sara noted.

"I'm afraid there's a good chance the attacks will have spread further north in the next twenty four hours, so we're really up against it."

"Well how much fuel have we got left?"

"Half a tank, so if I keep driving at a good speed, two hundred, maybe two hundred and fifty miles."

"Will that get us to a safe town or city?"

"It would have comfortably gotten us to Violet City, but now that's been attacked, the short answer is no. Hypothetically, we could try for Cherrygrove City on the coast, but that's not very far North, so I think it's only a matter of time before it's attacked, and the nearer we get to Silver City without running into any more of those things, the better as far as I'm concerned. I also think we will be safer in the rural areas. There are some hills to the North-East of route 32, on the way to Silver City. I know it's a risk if we run into trouble, but the cities just don't seem safe."

"I'm wondering: if these things come from space, like the people on the radio seem to think, then why does it matter how far north or south we are? Couldn't they just wherever they like?"

"In theory yes, but my theory is the ones who have attacked so far probably landed as a group within a certain, relatively small radius. And that's why it's important if we can to get to Silver City before another group lands further North."

"So you think they spread all throughout Southern Johto in just a matter of hours. They didn't look like they could move that fast to me."

"Their speed is deceptive because they're so large, but believe me, the one we saw was moving pretty quick when it wanted to. And they may have landed as early as this time yesterday for all we know, maybe even earlier."

"Be honest Brock" She pressed anxiously, "What are our chances?"

"To be honest Sara, I have no idea. We just have to see how it plays out."

"I love you Brock."

"I love you too, and I always will."

Later that evening, they turned off route 32, not that far South of Violet City and began to head North-East. The roads weren't as wide or smooth now, but they were still made of asphalt and accessible. They noticed a few other cars along this road, most heading in the same direction as them, but there was not nearly as much traffic as there had been on route 32. This meant they could now travel faster.

After a few hours the terrain began to get steeper as they began to climb into the hills. It was now dusk, and the sun was about to rise. "How much fuel left?" Sara asked nervously.

"80 maybe 90 miles worth, on smooth terrain, so in reality we'll be lucky to get another 50 miles before we run out, but that should put us in some pretty isolated but hospitable countryside. We're where we need to be for the time being."

"You know all of Johto pretty well don't you?"

"Absolutely. Not only did I travel through much of Johto with Ash and Misty, but I've seen a lot of it since I started living here, so I'm pretty much an expert. Actually, the area we're coming into now is probably the part of Johto I know the least well."

"Great" She responded sarcastically.

Soon after, the others started to wake up. By the time the sun appeared in front of them, which began to make it more difficult for Brock to drive, all of them, save Bonny, had awoken. "Where are we?" Clement asked Brock.

"We're some distance East of Violet City, we're heading into the hills."

"Did you stop over and get more gas in Violet City?"

"No, I'm afraid not Clement. All of the Southern part of Johto has come under attack now, but thankfully Johto is the only region affected so far." Those in the back seats drew a big, collective sigh of relief upon hearing that news, especially May and Serena.

"So now I'm taking us into the hills, where hopefully we'll be safe. From there we'll continue our journey to Silver City on foot."

"Sounds rational to me", Clement answered.

"Shouldn't we ring our families to let them know we're ok?" May asked.

"Yes", Brock answered. "But it would be best if you wait until we've stopped, I need to concentrate on the road and this sun is getting in my eyes."

"Oh, sorry Brock."

The terrain got progressively steeper as the morning went on, even though the roads remained quite straight. They were not into the mountains yet. Rather, the countryside consisted mostly of rolling plains. However, that soon changed as the countryside on either side of them became more forested and minutes later they saw a respectable sized mountain ahead of them. "how high is that?" Clement asked Brock. "About four thousand feet, and I think we're already about two thousand feet above sea level so we'll be pretty high up."

"Why are we going there?" Misty inquired.

"Because I happen to know there's a very pleasant valley around the other side. It's got a river which flows down from the mountain top, a large pond, and a large number of trees. The walls of the valley are quite steep as well, so it should be a good spot to conceal ourselves and get some rest until we hear more news."

The climb up was quite steep. Ash felt like they were going to fall off the mountain itself a number of times. But after maybe ten minutes, just before Brock's tank emptied, they reached the top. It was stunning: on the right hand side was the valley, just as Brock had described it, except the river and pond were closer to the other end of the valley below them; on the left it was much steeper; and where they were standing, the path was relatively narrow, maybe 40 feet across and consisted largely of bushes, but there was a small clearing of grass on the valley side. This is where they decided to stop and eat some lunch, not far from where Brock's car was parked.

"Well, Mr Ferrari, you served me well. Hopefully we'll meet again", he said sadly, patting the bonnet, as he began to get teary eyed. Sara went over and consoled him.

During the middle of lunch they heard a noise in the bushes, and everyone was on edge. "Hang on" Brock shouted, no one move until I tell you to." The noise was getting closer, and Ash's heart was beating a mile a minute as the noise got closer. When the creature popped out they all gave a scream, but it was only a Chikorita. "Oh, Hello little guy" Ash said pleasantly, while holding one hand over his chest, "you have us a fright."

"Would you like to come have lunch with us?" Serena asked pleasantly. Pikachu went over to talk to it and they started a conversation in pokemon language. Pikachu started to get anxious and it began talking to Ash. He appeared quite frantic but Ash couldn't understand what he was saying, "I don't understand buddy, what's wrong?" Pikachu started pointing at the Chikorita, he then began a stomping motion: Ash had a feeling he knew what that meant, and all of a sudden he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Not a minute later there was a huge noise over on the other side of the valley. Moments later an object rose up from behind the rim of the valley wall, directly opposite from them. They were back.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

There was suddenly much commotion as another one of the three-legged tripods appeared again on the other side of the valley, almost exactly opposite from where they were standing. Soon they all looked at Brock and asked what they should do. "Everyone get into the bushes, but not too far in just yet."

"Can it get across the valley?" Serena asked.

"I don't know but it might be able to hit us a different way?"

"Like how?" Misty asked. Brock began to point in its direction, with a terrified expression, "like that!" All of a sudden it began to glow and a red laser shot out of its chest region. It hit right on the rim of the mountain top, not thirty yards from their current position, taking a large piece out of the mountain: they felt the Earth shake beneath them. The shots kept on coming for the next few minutes, and they were now within a few feet of them. "Okay, we have to run to get to the other end of the valley now!" Sara shouted.

"But don't get any closer to the clearing" Brock added. "Just move in a straight line. They all obeyed their orders and ran fast in a straight line, Clement carried Bonny, and Drew, Ash noticed, kept a close eye on May. Two – maybe three minutes – later they had almost reached the other end of the mountain valley, as they came to the starting point of the river which flowed down into the valley. It was surrounded by a number of rocks, small trees and bushes, which they used as cover. The tripod had moved along the other side of the valley rim, in pursuit of its opponents, matching them opponents stride for stride with its enormous legs, but Brock suspected it was capable of moving faster if need be. He made sure he and the others were well hidden amongst the bushes, which were shielded by the surrounding plants and trees. The machine continued to fire but after a few minutes, it appeared to finally run out of ammunition after taking another dent out of the rim of the valley and setting fire to a number of trees. After that, is disappeared again over the other side of the valley wall and its footsteps gradually became more faint. After a couple of minutes it could no longer be heard.

"Do you think it will come back?" Ash asked Brock.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I think we should go into the valley and stay the night there. After that, if the coast is clear, we need to make for Silver City as quickly as possible. It's what I feared, it appears the tripods are moving North at a rapid rate."

"But are they the same ones from the South or are they new ones?" Ash asked.

"I don't know, but there could be plenty more of them, so early tomorrow I might bring a couple of you back up here and check out the terrain so to speak, we should be able to see up to 100 miles to the North and East from up here. If anyone has a pair of binoculars I think they will come in handy. If it's clear then I think we'll chance it."

"Sounds like a plan Brock. Also, I think we should our phones for any news updates."

"Naturally, but it's very unlikely it will be completely safe, no matter how long we wait. But yes, we'll take that into account as well. As for now, let's get down into that valley, and make for the clearing near that pond you can see down there" he finished, pointing about twelve hundred feet below them, towards the pond, which was situated in the East end of the valley. Past the pool, the river flowed to the other side of the valley; from there it flowed through a clearing at the bottom of the rock wall, and out through the South face of the mountain, and from there on it meandered in a Southerly direction towards the coast.

It was a fairly steep and difficult climb down into the valley, more so than it looked. Clement and Serena both had to keep hold of Bonny, one on either side, as they trekked down the hillside at a snail's pace. Eventually they all made it and set up camp in a sandy area on the hillside of the pond. This was located very close to the trees, which would provide good cover for them if they required it. There were also a number of logs for them to sit on in the sandy area, just in front of the trees. Brock ordered them to not make any fires in case anyone or anything entered the valley and they saw the light.

By mid-afternoon they had eaten some snacks and had their sleeping bags set up for the night ahead. They agreed Ash, Brock, Clement and Serena would keep watch that night, while May, Misty Sara and Drew would do it if they needed to stay another night. After their afternoon tea, they decided to take a dip in the generous sized pond; the water was a very pure, clear blue, and the surrounding trees were a bright, Grass green colour. They were mostly pine needle, which May noted were one of her favourite because they were "Such a pretty colour." It was clear the mountain valley had been largely untouched by man, and that those who had visited had generally treated it well. The logs were on a few signs of human influence and one that they, at that time, were grateful for. The temperature was comfortable that afternoon, and although the water was slightly cold, after a few minutes, they were sitting comfortably in the water. Ash was floating on his back, trying to relax while taking in the beautiful scenery. So much had happened the last day or so, but now he needed this time to himself to reflect. He was hoping for some kind of epiphany concerning this destiny, but deep in his mind, the part of him which was trying to relax wrestled ferociously with the crippling anxiety concerning their current situation and the prophecy given to him by Kurt just a day earlier. His mind kept telling him: 'It doesn't matter how hard anyone tries, there's no way of avoiding fate.' But in his mind, Ash held onto that hope that now appeared to defy not only fate, but logic as well. He concluded it was just human nature, 'but what about spiritual nature'? He pondered. 'What part could that have to play in the events still to unfold, as well as in helping me to find my destiny'? But his musings were soon ruined by a splash: it was Misty, who had taken it upon herself to dunk Ash into the water, "Uhhh, hey Misty what you doing? I was trying to think."

"I think you've been doing that for long enough now."

"But it's been so hard to just rest for two seconds, we've all been stressed you know" he continued to whine in an agitated manner.

"Sometimes there's a difference between what we'd like to do and what's good for us Ash."

"So you're telling me" he began, looking bewildered and agitated "that a short time of peaceful reflection after the events of the last day or so aren't good for me, is that seriously what you're trying to say?"

"You do realise you've been here for quite a while now, almost an hour in fact."

"I guess time flies when you're having fun."

"Oh yes, it does Ash. But we've got to stay alert you know." Her voice started to go soft all of a sudden and she began to move even closer to Ash, "we need to stay alive, I need to stay alive, I don't want to go yet, when there's still so much to live for" She leaned in and gave Ash a big pash. He always knew Misty could be a loose cannon but he was not expecting that, he figured strange times made people do strange things. For a moment he kind of enjoyed it, but he soon resisted, "what do you think you're doing Misty? You know how things are with me and Serena."

"I'm sorry" she said with tears streaming down her face, "I just had to try, just once, to know what it felt like you know. I wanted to do it for so long. It's a bit like that game where the wheel spins and you don't know what number it will land on. What I mean is, if I had been the one you met last instead of Serena, you would've been more mature, maybe we could've been the ones who ended up together you know?"

"It's all about you isn't it Misty? You and May are just the same, you just let your feelings dominate and cripple you to the point where you can't connect with those of other people. Did Serena's feelings ever occur to you huh?" he was shouting now, "or mine?" She looked guilty now. "No, I bet they didn't did they. Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get nasty about it and I'm sorry you're hurting but Serena and I are fine together, and I think it's time people just left us alone."

"Misty splashed him in the face, quite hard, and walked back to camp. When Ash looked over in that direction he saw Serena, Brock and Sara staring right back at him and Misty. The others had gone into the forest to get more wood for the fire. He felt embarrassed but he knew Misty would be feeling much worse. He believed what he said, but he wished he could tell Misty all the good things he thought of her; he felt she had taken his criticism the wrong way, as if he didn't like her at all. But that was so far from the truth, and he did have some feelings for her, just not in the same way. The stare Serena gave her when she came back to shore was so piercing it would have scared the tripods.

As evening neared, Brock and Clement began to cook dinner together, but even there, there was conflict over who was the better cook. After just 24 hours the harmony of the group was already being ripped apart. A group which, in its various incarnations, could travel together for months at a time and hardly have a conflict of any real note. And even when there had been, Ash could not remember a time where there had been this much tension. He knew what they were enduring was incredible, but he still had always believed their bonds of friendship were stronger than they appeared to be at this moment. He figured maybe too many people travelling together added to the tension, and as for the girl thing, Ash decided perhaps he was just naïve, but he had never thought the other girls' feelings for him were that strong. He hated that he was hurting them, and that his love for Serena was ruining their friendships. 'Why couldn't I have read the signs better?' he shouted inwardly. He concluded that perhaps Misty was right, once they survived this, if they did, then things could go back to normal. But his ponderings were once again ruined, this time by something far more dangerous than Misty: it was back, right where they had first seen it earlier that day. "Come on everyone, hide" Sara hissed.

"No!" Drew shouted, refusing to retreat.

"What are you doing?" May cried nervously.

"I'm not running away, these things are going to win if we don't fight back. This problem can't be ignored, either we stand or we get wiped out."

"But if we can hide" May pleaded with him, "if we can get through till tomorrow."

"I'm not waiting for that thing to kill me in my sleep. And did it occur to you maybe if we fight it with all our pokemon, that we might be able to win?" They all began to turn to Brock, "Agreed, it's still a long way to Silver City, and these things are getting the upper hand. If humanity and pokemon are going to win, we have so start standing up to them. Sara, go with Bonny and put her somewhere safe. The rest of you, bring all your pokeballs and walk out with me."

"No!" Bonny whined, I'm not leaving Clement to go out on his own."

"I'm sorry" Sara said sincerely, "we'll go somewhere where we can keep an eye on him ok. Besides, it'll be the pokemon doing the fighting remember."

Ash was trembling as he walked out into the twilight. Ash figured he should make the first move: "Hawlucha, high jump kick" it was a direct hit." The tripod did not even notice them until that, but the hit to its right leg certainly grabbed its attention: it trembled slightly, as if it were in discomfort. "Ok, let's see how it likes this: Pikachu, thunderbolt", "Pika-Chuuuuuu!" Ash's little buddy gave it all he had and the thunderbolt reverberated all throughout the grotesque creature's small head and body, right down into its massive limbs. It was the most powerful thunderbolt Ash had ever seen Pikachu perform. Ash began to realise the advantage of fighting something with disproportionately large legs: if it loses its balance, it can go down very easily, and after Pikachu's massive thunderbolt , it looked wobbly and in a lot of discomfort. They now had the upper hand, all they had to watch out for were the lasers being fired at them, which the pokemon were avoiding quite easily. However, Ash got so excited watching the pokemon do their work that he forgot to keep his eye on the tripod and he barely had time to move by the time he saw the red laser coming his way: Brock dived in front of him, saving him from a full blow. Brock was fine, but Ash felt a sharp burn down the side of his left leg.

"Ash!" Serena ran to him frantically, but Clement made sure she did not get in its line of fire.

"I'm ok Serena" Ash assured her. Just a little bit of a burn to my leg. We'll worry about it after the battle ok."

The others began to feel more confident in putting their pokemon into the battle, and they were able to inflict severe damage. In particular, a couple of powerful moves from May settled the battle: first her Blaziken executed a risky high jump kick, before finishing with a fire punch; then here Beautifly paralysed the target with a stun spore: this brought it to the ground. It seemed so obvious now: how could something with only one real weapon that had such a disproportionate body possibly win against a group of powerful pokemon. It seemed all the tripods were good for was stomping buildings. 'Much ado about nothing' Ash thought to himself.

He was about to go and get some treatment for his wounds when he heard a noise. It sounded almost like a bunch of rodents. All of a sudden, out of the body of the collapsed tripod, a group of mouse-like pokemon came rushing towards them. Ash was not sure, but he counted either six or seven. It was hard to describe them precisely because of the fading light, but they looked around two feet tall and had yellow and brown bodies, with grey around the torso. Ash had never seen such pokemon before. Initially, this surge caught them unawares, and a number of pokemon, including Pikachu, were attacked. But they soon regained their composure, and they started to gain the upper hand. The alien pokemons' moves were unfamiliar also: one was a kind of scratch; another was a punching type move; while another involved a sommersault followed by a high kick; and finally, they had some kind of pschic ability which allowed them to levitate their opponent, but it seemed they could not maintain it if they took their eyes off their target to focus on another pokemon.

Eventually Ash, Brock and the others made pretty light work of their opponents, along with Serena's Braixen and Panchem , Drew's Butterfree and Absol, Misty's Psyduck, and May's Beautifly and Blaziken. Clement's Chespin finishing off the last opponent with a barrage of pin missiles. They breathed a huge collective sigh of relief, but not all came out of the battle completely unscathed: "Oh no" May squealed, "Beautifly, no!"

"What happened May?" Serena asked.

"One of Beautifly's wings is torn, up near the top you see?"

"It'll be ok" she reassured her. "We'll stitch it back together, you know how to do that don't you Brock?"

"Yes I do, but it's quite a bad tear. It will be in quite a lot of pain for a few days or so." It wimpered in discomfort as May, still distressed herself, tried to console it, rubbing its wing gently.

"We've got to get Ash checked out as well" Serena reminded them.

"I know" Brock answered, a few of us have wounds to tend to. Everyone come over to the fire and get something to eat and drink while I go and get my medical kit. Great job everybody, I think we're going to be alright."

Serena tended to Ash's wound, using some sort of dressing Brock had given her. The burn was quite large, just below his left knee on the side of his leg. But it started to hurt somewhat less as the dressing began to take effect. Brock was taking care of Beautifly, which still appeared to be in a lot of pain. After a while it appeared to be more comfortable. Drew came over to the log where May and Beautifly were sitting. "This guy doing ok?" he asked May, whilst rubbing Beautifly's good wing.

"I think so" May answered. "I hate seeing it suffer like this though."

"Like its owner, it's probably more of a vanity thing" he joked.

"What! That's a horrible thing to say" She snapped.

"Relax, it's just a joke. It knows I was joking, don't you little fella" it withdrew from him and made some kind of buzzing sound to signal its disapproval. "I guess it gets its oversensitive nature form its trainer as well."

"Why are you even here, if you're just going to torture me?"

"Because you make it so easy." May sighed, "what is it with you and me Drew? Why do we squabble so often?"

"Because you're so oversensitive, you can't take a joke."

"Well I'm sorry, sometimes it's hard to tell whether you're joking or not."

"Ok, maybe I get off on teasing you sometimes, but I never mean to be nasty ok. I like you May, I really like you but it's in my nature to joke around sometimes, you know? I'm sorry if I've really hurt you, ok."

"Ok, Ok Drew. That was very sweet and yes Beautifly and I accept your apology, don't we Beautifly?" The creature nodded its small head in agreement.

"Great, now is there anything else I can get you two?"

"Don't beg for approval Drew, it doesn't suit you."

"Don't get smart, it doesn't suit you." Her split second reaction was to take offense, but she quickly realised this was one of those jokes Drew was referring to, "Wait, that was a joke right?"

"Uh huh, well…kinda" She got the joke straight away that time, and they both laughed together. They then stared into each other's eyes, and May smiled at him with her kind, warm smile, lit up by her bright blue eyes. Drew could not resist it, he smirked at her, feeling slightly embarrassed. She drew nearer to him. Drew figured this was as good an opportunity as any, so he plucked up the courge, and gave her a small kiss on the lips. He then held his breath, before she gave him a bigger kiss in return. "Aww, isn't that so sweet" Sara said warmly, looking at Brock.

"Finally" he responded, "I was waiting for these two to get their act together."

"You're funny" she responded.

Later that night they used their phone radios to listen for updates. The news was more positive this time around: "We are now hearing reports that most of the machines have been destroyed by a combined army of military personnel and specially trained pokemon, as well as pokemon on the ground. Estimates concerning the number of these machines which are yet to be destroyed range between 10 and 15, but just this morning the estimate was placed at somewhere between 50-70. As for the number of foreign pokemon, the majority of them have either been destroyed or contained. Estimates concerning their numbers range from a little over 100 to as many as 200 still remaining. We should also point out to listeners that no reports of any machines or foreign pokemon have been recorded outside of the Johto region, so these developments are very encouraging indeed. And experts see this crisis soon coming to an end. A wave of relief swept through the group. Ash felt somewhat relieved himself although he still couldn't put his meeting with Kurt out of his head completely. He looked towards Clement and suspected he felt the same way. Brock also looked somewhat cautious, but the others were already celebrating and chatting cheerfully to one another. There was definitely a certain 'winning feeling' amongst the group as a whole.

The mood was now much calmer and it began to clear Ash's mind. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him: "Hey" he said to no one in particular, "what do you think happened to ream rocket?" They all looked a little surprised by the question as they shook their heads: "I don't know Ash" Misty answered. "I hadn't even thought about them since we escaped."

"I just thought they would've survived, that's just what team rocket do. I had this feeling that…"

"What Ash?"

"Never mind, it's nothing. It's a funny thing though. You hate them, but once they're gone, you miss them. They weren't really your typical bad guys were they, like they always had a good side. I think deep down they were just a bunch of big kids, who didn't find their purpose in life."

"I wouldn't count team rocket out just yet" Brock assured him. "A lot of the people from that party probably survived the attacks, and once they do come back you'll probably wish they hadn't."

"Yeah, probably."

"You're right Brock" Clement answered. "They probably got away on that balloon of theirs."

"Whether they did or not, we've still got far bigger things to worry about. The first one is all you guys getting a good rest. We'll keep watch as scheduled and in the morning we'll make a decision about whether or not it's safe to leave. Ok, good night everyone."

"Good night Brock" they all answered. And within a matter of minutes all of them had fallen asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next morning Brock, Ash and Clement ventured to the top of the valley and determined it was safe to continue travelling. The radio reports also confirmed three more tripods had been defeated, heartening the mood even more. After another rationed breakfast, they head out of the large valley and continued their journey in a North-Easterly direction.

Over the next three days they travelled through some beautiful scenery, consisting of ancient forests and folded hills, as they were still hundreds of yards above sea level. It was some of the most beautiful scenery Ash had ever seen, and it also contained a number of different pokemon including Chikorita, Bayleef, Cyndaquil, Meganium and flocks of Spearow and Fearow. The dynamic of the group also changed slightly during this period; May and Drew were now close, so Misty decided to spend more time around Bonnie, teaching her about water pokemon which she showed a keen interest in; Clement and Ash spent more time with each other, along with Serena of course; while Brock and Sara remained side by side, leading the group.

Late on their third day out of the valley, they came to a small valley. In the middle of it lay a beautiful lake, surrounded by tall pine needle trees. "Ok cretins" Brock began, "I think this is a good place to make camp for the night. At our current pace we're still about ten days hike from Silver City, so don't get too comfortable. "This lake is so beautiful!" May gushed. "They should rename it lake May."

"But there already is a lake May, in Hoenn" Ash reminded her.

"Well I think Johto could do with one."

"Just your little gift to the world" Drew said mockingly. "Let's name one lake in every region after May. There's just one problem though, I don't think too many ships sink in lakes."

"Ok Drew, you're really calling for it now." She said it with a slight smirk on her face."

"Hey May?" he asked.

"Yeah Mr Smarty-pants?"

"Want a swim." She thought about it for a few moments, "as a matter of fact, I could do with a swim. My body's so sore after three days of almost constant walking. Hopefully the water will help to heal it."

"Hey Ash, that's not a bad idea" Serena suggested. Even he could see what Serena was getting at here, "Ok Serena, why not?"

Not long later they changed into their bathers and hopped in. The water was cool as the sun was close to setting, but the view was tremendous and the best part for Ash was the company. Serena and him were having a great time together, as they splashed and tickled one another. The best part for Ash was the smile on Serena's face. May and Drew looked just as happy, and even though they teased each other almost constantly, everyone knew deep down they were every bit as happy together as Ash and Serena.

Misty sat on the shore, wishing she could join in the fun and have a partner of her own. "Hey are you ok Misty?" Sara asked, approaching her from behind. "To be honest, I'm not doing too great. I did something really stupid the other day and I feel like I've cut myself off from my friends you know?"

"I think under the circumstances, you can let yourself off Misty. Besides you always liked Ash, it was your right to try and he said no, but so what. That happens to almost everybody at some stage."

"Not some people" she moaned. I bet you never got rejected."

"That's just where you're wrong, I did, twice. And both times it was by guys I really liked. The first hardly knew I existed; and the second, well I think he liked me, but he liked someone else a little bit better, that one hurt worst."

"You? But you're beautiful."

"Well you're pretty good too the last time I checked. And you're only thirteen, don't put so much pressure on yourself. But my point about those negative experiences was rejection happens to everybody. Don't believe the lies you here about how that stuff only happens to losers, that's not true. Rejection is a part of life, and I believe you're only a loser if you believe you are."

"Do you think that's the way I'm carrying myself, like I've lost my confidence?"

"Not yet. But if you keep letting every negative in your life eat away at you, all of a sudden you'll hardly recognise the person you used to be. The same thing began to happen to me, until I met Brock. He taught me to belief in myself again and to work for what I wanted, and now I've got a great job working working as a detective, although I'm not sure we'll be going back to Azalea Town for a while. And more importantly I met someone who I'm happy with. And that brings me to my last point, no relationship is perfect, it's what you share in the good times and having something that's strong enough to survive the bad, that's what it's about." Misty knew she would have to think long about those words, but for now she began to change the subject: "So you're not too worried about aiming any higher? Oh, no offense, I'm glad you do something you enjoy, but you seem like you could do almost anything if you wanted."

"When you've found your calling, you don't need to be the greatest."

"I think you should have that talk with Ash." They both laughed. "Well it does usually take a bit longer with the boys. Now do you want to go and take a walk around the lake, it's a beautiful time for it?" Misty smiled at her, feeling more cheerful now, "Absolutely, wouldn't miss it."

Back in the lake, May and Drew were kissing and cuddling, constantly and looked content doing so. However, Serena thought she could make things with her and Ash a little more interesting. She started with a kiss, before extending her legs around Ash's waist. She then pinched his legs with the toes, before leaning into Ash's chest with her breasts. She was not sure how Ash would react, but after a few seconds he went in to have a grope. He seemed to quite enjoy it, at least judging by the grin on his adorable little face, but he then began to hesitate and suddenly he pulled away completely. "I'm sorry Serena, I think we've taken it far enough for now." Serena was feeling shocked and confused now, "What do you mean, I thought you wanted this. Was it a little too full on or something."

"It's not just that."

"Well then what is it" She started to scream. Is there something wrong with me?"

"No! You're perfect, you're beautiful. I'm just not sure if I'm meant to be doing this. I feel like, despite what people seem to think, that the danger isn't over yet, and I'm still trying to work out my destiny, and if we're not meant to be together, I don't want to hurt you?"

"Oh grow up Ash" She bellowed, splashing water in his face, enough to sting Ash. "This is all it is with you lately, destiny this, destiny that. Did it occur to you maybe you get to choose your own destiny?"

"I wish it were that simple. There's nothing I want more than to be with you and Pikachu and to just continue going on journeys, but I was there in Kurt's house with Clement not one week ago when he started making these ridiculous and terrifying predictions, and that night it actually starts to happen. And he says the worst is still to come, how do you think you would've felt if you had been there, with someone entrusting the fate of the World to you, huh? And do you think it's any surprise Clement isn't himself lately? The rest of you are only going on what you see in front of you, but it's a little harder for Clement and I, because deep down we know there's little chance that this war is over yet."

"What can I do to help you Ash?"

"Stay with me." She looked a little uncertain now, "You know what we ha…what we were about to have tonight?" Ash nodded, "do you think you would be ready for that stuff in the near future?"

"I think I would've been ready for it tonight if we didn't have all this going on. I love you Serena, inside and out. Don't doubt that, please." She looked more satisfied now. Ash then leaned in and kissed her on the lips; it was a long and passionate kiss. She smiled warmly at him now, "Ok Ash, you're off the hook, but don't screw with me like that again, you just don't do that sort of stuff to someone you love ok?"

"Ok Serena, but please don't take everything so personally."

"Ok, I'll make more of an effort." If there was one thing Ash had learnt on this journey so far, it was that when it came to matters of the heart, girls had a tendency to overreact.

Speaking of overreactions, Clement and Brock were demonstrating that it wasn't only the fairer sex that had a penchant for emotional outbursts. The inevitable debate over who should do the cooking had begun and it was nastier than most had expected. Bonny had a ringside seat, "Listen science geek" Brock began angrily, "I think I know a little more than you about how long the meat needs before it's been cooked."

"Don't talk to my brother that way you big bully. He's smarter than you are, he's kinder, and he's more handsome too. So if you give him grief, you'll have me to deal with." He laughed, an evil sounding laugh, "Oh, am I supposed to be afraid. How about you two leave me alone and stop cramping my style. I've got more than enough to worry about at the moment, including keeping everyone alive, and at the moment, you two are just two more mouths to feed, to more people to keep safe, and to be frank, both are you are just deadweight. So toddle on out of here and do something useful for once."

Just then they heard footsteps approaching: it was Sara and Misty, "Oh shit" Brock muttered. They both looked horrified. "Brock" Sara began, "would you care to explain yourself?" she asked in a mock pleasant tone, which began to intimidate Brock, "Or do I need to come over and pull you by the hair until you explain it?"

"Yeah Brock" Misty added, "What did they ever DO TO YOU!" Sounding just like the old, angry Misty that Brock remembered.

"Look, I'm so worn out, I'm stressed, and I've just had enough" tears were streaming down his face now, as he buried his head in his face. He soon began to regain his composure: "look, you two" staring at Bonnie and Clement, "I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, you're good kids and you mean well, I'm not denying that, but it's so hard after everything that's happened, having to keep your trauma locked in and back up by trying to keep everyone safe and do the bulk of the housekeeping to top it all off. It's a bit different with the others because we travelled together for so long, so we have that bond of friendship, and Serena, well I know how strongly Ash feels about her, so I figured it was best to not insult her. So I guess that left you two; please accept my apology guys?"

"Well at least now I can understand your feeling" Clement said. But please don't hurt my sister, just think how hard all this must be for her."

"I know. I'm sorry, but that's just the reason I'm exhausting myself trying to shelter you all you guys from everything, her more than anybody."

"Thank you Brock, for all you've done for me" Bonnie said gently, "I really appreciate it and so does my Brother" Clement nodded in agreement. "And we promise we'll give you your space but also do more to help."

"Speaking of which, Clement, I'm giving the bulk of the cooking duties over to you. And if you need help, just ask me or Sara ok?" Clement's eyes lit up now: "Really, thank you so much. I won't disappoint." Misty and Sara began to giggle. "He's so sweet" Sara said.

"I know" Misty added.

"He's my big brother!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Ash, Serena, May and Drew continued to enjoy their swim for a while longer. They were about to finish up, when they saw a light coming from the shore further down the lake. The lights continued to approach along the shore, getting closer and closer towards the campsite, which was nested in amongst the pine needles. "What is that?" May exclaimed.

"Probably just people", Drew answered. "Let's start to make for shore." They did just that; they had no time to change back into their clothes as the figures were now very close. They appeared human: there were three of them: the two on the side looked a little taller than the one in the middle, but aside from that they were impossible to make out. They made no noise, so they started shouting "Hello, who are you?" They did this several times but still there was no answer as the figures continued to get closer and closer.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Hello" they continued to call out to the figures. Ash's heart was beating a mile a minute, he was contemplating whether to run or to wait for the figures to reach them. He decided on the latter. May began to run, but Drew pulled her back: "hang on, I'll look after you." Suddenly, when they were maybe ten yards away, the one in the middle finally spoke: "Is that a group of children I see?" It was a woman's voice, she sounded fairly advanced in years.

"Yes, kind of" Serena answered, "but who are you?"

"My name is Mary. And these are my two sons" pointing to the two figures on either side of her, "Steven and Gerald." "Hello there" the pair introduced themselves.

"We're sorry to startle you" Mary continued, "but given the current state of events we're on high alert, so when we heard noises coming from the lake we came to make sure that none of those dreadful machines or alien pokemon were in the vicinity. Speaking of which, why are you children wandering around the countryside in such dangerous times?"

"We're trying to get to Silver City" Ash answered, "we were attacked by one of the machines back in Azalea Town and we've been on the run ever since."

"Azalea Town!" the old lady seemed startled, "well you lot sure have come a long way in such a short period. All of you can come back to my place and rest for a couple of days. It's a short walk, just on the other side of the valley."

"There are others with us as well" May answered, "five others in fact."

"Well aren't you a big party, it's a miracle you're all still alive out here after this long. Let's go and find your friends and they'll come back with us."

They headed back to camp where they introduced the others to Mary and her two sons. They then changed clothes and packed their belongings and began the relatively short trek to Mary's residence. It was about a twenty fifteen minute walk in the end, not long at all. The house itself was on the slope on the other side of the small valley. It was two stories, but quite average sized. Ash wondered how they would all be able to stay there.

AS they entered, Mary escorted them through the narrow hallway to a large dining room on their right. The kitchen was on the left. "All of you are welcome to sleep wherever you wish" she began, "we've got a spare bedroom upstairs, and Steven and Gerald can share with anyone who wants the second bedroom, or if you prefer, you can remain down here and sleep on the couch."

"We've also got two spare pullup beds for anyone who would like to sleep down here if there's not enough room on the couches" Steven informed them.

"Thank you very much you guys" Brock answered, for all of this." The others also thanked the family for their kind hospitality.

"But you don't have to worry about pullup beds" Ash answered, "we've all got sleeping bags, we don't need you to go to all that extra trouble."

"Suit yourselves", Steven responded.

Not a few minutes later, Mary brought them cups of hot chocolate and some roast potatoes and vegetables. It was a hearty meal, just what they needed to satisfy their appetites: they had been on rations for almost a week now. While they were enjoying their evening supper they decided to turn on the TV. A number of stations were still reporting on the invasion. They were reporting 'breaking news': apparently, as of that night, all of the tripods had been defeated, and there were now estimated to be only a small handful of alien pokemon remaining. But the news was not all cheerful: "for the first time since the attacks began five days ago, the military and emergency service workers have gained access to all of the areas worst hit: the total death toll across Johto is estimated to reach past half a million people and a similar number of pokemon." That news sent a huge chill down Ash's spine. Serena began to weep, and most of the others had tears in their eyes also, "that's so many" she said weakly, "I wonder how many of those people from the party made it, it's just so surreal."

"It won't do you any good thinking about it Serena" Sara answered her, "it's just morbid."

"I'm sorry, it's just that…I never thought I would live to see something so horrible in my lifetime, I can't believe how much we took it for granted before."

"The important thing is that the world survived and that things will continue to be good in the rest of the World, and even Johto will eventually recover and be as it once was." But Ash was still not certain about that.

About half an hour later, Bonnie had fallen asleep and the others were starting to get tired also. "I'd better take Bonny up" Clement said.

"I'll go and make the beds" Mary answered warmly.

She soon returned, and May and Drew also decided to head to the room upstairs, which they would share with Bonnie and Clement, while the rest of them elected to sleep in the dining room, either on the couches or in their sleeping bags.

Ash slept restlessly that night. Most of the others now seemed relieved but he wasn't. He wished this was the end, he truly did, but deep down he knew it probably wasn't. Despite this, a part of him kept telling him he was just being superstitious, that it was now ok. Ash found it amazing the things that the mind can convince one of if the person is desperate enough to believe them. But in spite of all that, he knew he couldn't rest.

The next morning Brock informed Mary that he and the others would be leaving after breakfast, although Mary protested they stay at least one more day. "I'm sorry" he answered, "I wish we could, but I won't be able to feel relaxed until I've got these guys into Silver City. I know it sounds a bit superstitious now, but better safe than sorry."

"Oh my dear young man" she responded gently, "I think you can be almost certain you've got nothing to worry about, but I accept your decision. Please let my sons take you out to the edge of this range, it should only be a four or five hour journey from here."

"Would you like to come with us Mother" Gerald asked, in a slightly nervous tone, "I don't think we should get separated you know."

"Ok Gerald, I'll come along also."

"You're right to be weary" Stephan noted, looking at Brock, "I myself aren't convinced we've seen the last of those things yet. So don't worry, you're certainly not on your own.

"Oh brother" Gerald interjected, "don't bring up that prophecy again."

"Gerald!" His Mother bellowed, "don't go worrying these young heroes here with any of that talk. And you too Stephen; they've already endured enough for one whole lifetime."

"You guys know about the prophecy?" Brock questioned curiously.

"Oh so you know about it too?" Gerald replied.

"Yeah, funny thing, a friend of ours back in Azalea Town mentioned it to Ash and Clement the day before all this began, how about that for timing. So how do you guys know about it?"

"The prophecy of the great war has been common knowledge throughout much of Johto for many years" Stephen answered. "It's kind of a tribal folklore you know, something that gets passed down from generation to generation. But when people started moving into the cities and became too busy with their own lives – as well as becoming more sceptical of so-called wives tales – it was kind of forgotten over time. But I always believed it to be true, and the evidence is surprisingly compelling. And now, well, I guess we know."

"Who wrote it?" Brock asked.

"A group of ancient men and women, who lived in the borderlands between Johto and Kanto, in areas such as what is now Silver City and the Indigo Plateau and other surrounding areas. They were considered amongst the most intelligent, kind and also the most civilised of the ancient tribes, but what truly distinguished them was their relationship with the ancient pokemon. Some amongst their tribes were said to possess the ability to read the thoughts of pokemon, while others could even feel their pain." Some amongst their descendants made up the first royal families of Johto and Kanto."

"Wow. But how does this relate to the prophecy itself?"

"Because it was said the prophecy was actually given to them by a group of ancient legendary pokemon by means of some form of telekinesis and told them to remember the words of the prophecy. The men and women then wrote the prophecy down on ancient tablets, and throughout time more copies were written."

"But I guess when you're dealing with such great time periods, you can never know for certain huh?"

"Well this was ancient folklore over a very wide area, both in Kanto and in Johto, and even in other areas of the world. This we know because it was not only passed down by word of mouth, but also noted in multiple ancient texts from around the world. And I think the greatest proof we've ever had has been in the past week. I know these are dangerous times, very dangerous times, but in a selfish kind of way, it gives me a warm buzzing feeling to be a part of history, to be a part of prophecy being fulfilled." He was almost screaming now.

"It's a dangerous thing to insert oneself into prophecy my son" his Mother warmed him. "Prophecy is supposed to be a source of divine guidance, that gently leads one in the right direction. It is not something to be forced for man's own glory, to play that game is very dangerous indeed."

"Ok, relax Mom, don't get all philosophical on me."

"But she's right" a voice from behind said, it was Clement's.

"What do you know kid?" Stephen responded condescendingly.

"I was there when Kurt gave us this warning. I thought he was mad, but that very night, I saw the world thrown into chaos, and I know if his remaining predictions turn out to be correct, that things are going to get a lot worse. And if that scenario does eventuate, people should be getting as far away from the danger as possible, and no one will be safe until the source of this so-called "alien" technology and a way of shutting it down or overpowering it is discovered."

"What do you mean so-called alien?"

"I have my suspicions about the source of the machines. We fought one a few days ago and up close it seemed to be composed of many metals and alloys you would find here on Earth just slightly more advanced."

"Well I suppose" Brock interjected, "that the universe is only made up of so many metals. Perhaps the composition of the planet these things came from isn't that different from Earth's."

"And what about the strange pokemon?" Steven noted, "no one's seen them before."

"Both reasonable arguments, but I'm still not so sure." With that, the conversation came to an end, and Brock decided they should be on their way.

A few minutes later, Ash, Brock and the others set out with Mary, Stephan and Gerald, who guided them through the hill lands until they reached a point at the end of the range. Looking out over the escarpment, they saw that from there, the land gradually fell away until it became relatively flat plain land. But that was still many miles off. It was still a fairly steep climb down the hill they were standing at the top of, so Stephan and Gerald volunteered to guide them down. About ten minutes later, they had reached the bottom, where the land began to smooth out. It was here they said their farewells. "Good luck" Gerald said kindly.

"Thanks Gerald" Brock answered as he went to shake Gerald's hand, "look after yourself."

"You too."

"I will. And Stephan, shaking his hand also, "thank you for everything. Please take care of yourself."

"Ok Brock" he answered somewhat dismissively, "thank you, all of you. You're a tough bunch of kids, just make sure you get to Silver City in one piece."

"I'll do everything in my power to get them there," Brock finished.

With that, Stephan and Gerald began their climb back up the hillside, while Brock, Ash and the others went on their way, as they continued their journey to Silver City.

James was in a world of his own, as he Jesse, Meowth and Wobberfett continued to fly in their hot air balloon. They were now nearing team rocket's base in the Northern part of Johto, but James felt little happiness or relief at that thought. All he could focus on were those whose lives had been lost, in part, because he had not spoken up about what he knew. The guilt gnawed away at him, but even after all that had happened, he couldn't bring himself to tell his friends the truth. But the part that depressed him the most was that in all probability, the little twerps hadn't made it.

"You still depressed James?" Jesse asked, with a hint of compassion in her voice.

"You know, as annoying as they were, it's heartbreaking to know the twerps are probably gone."

"Yeah" Meowth lamented, "and our shot at Pikachu, it's like now we've lost our purpose."

"I'm with you James" Jesse answered, "for all their flaws, they weren't too bad, and it's like without them, we've lost a part of ourselves. But that being said, they always had a knack of getting out of tight situations, so maybe they survived, at least a few of them." This gave James a small ray of hope, but deep down he still knew he had to prepare himself for the worst. They themselves were very fortunate to be alive: their balloon had passed three tripods and dozens of alien pokemon on their trip north, not to mention their initial escape from Azalea Town.

About an hour later, the base came into view. They landed on a helipad, where there were two escorts waiting for them. They gave the customary salute and were then led inside. They were led to the office of Giovanni himself. After a short delay, they were let in.

For a few moments he just stared at them, they in turn. Then he spoke: "Well, well, the scallywag crew survive again. For such screw-ups, you guys have always had a knack haven't you?" They were unsure of how to respond to that. "Anyway, congratulations, it must've taken some guts to survive all of that?"

"You can say that again Sir" Jesse replied.

"What did you want us for Sir?" James asked.

"To fill you guys in on a little secret."

"I know" James answered, "the whole thing was team rocket's doing." Giovanni looked stunned now: "Who told you?" he screamed.

"Nobody, I overhead a conversation between you and one of the team leaders, a couple of weeks back."

"You sneaky little bugger. Oh well, at least it made no difference." Those words put things into perspective for James: he knew he could've done something but chose not to, he was now overwhelmed with guilt. Jesse and Meowth were staring intently at him now, their expressions indicated however, were not ones of anger as James was expecting, but ones of compassion and understanding.

"So what now Sir" Jesse asked Giovanni.

"What now. Plan B, that's what." James trembled with horror: he didn't know there was meant to be a plan B.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Plan B," Giovanni began, "involves us selling hope to the masses. Basically, us and team Plasma tell the world that we're the ones who have the technology to keep them safe. We then persuade large companies and governments to invest in our technology and we make a big fat profit. Then, we execute more attacks, but not just in Johto this time, but all around the world, until there is nothing left but a trackless wasteland." James, Jesse and Meowth were in utter disbelief.

"But Why?" Jesse appealed, "if there's no world left, you won't be able to make money anymore, and think about all the good things about the world, like sipping a cocktail on a beautiful white beach; travelling and visiting all the wonders of the world; dining with a wealthy couple at their luxury estate."

"And being able to annoy us", Meowth added.

"Ok, so I'll have to sacrifice a few luxuries, but I've seen enough of those things anyway. I've always been an ambitious man, and I feel like I've been doing the same thing for too long now, it's time for a new challenge: to be one of the founding fathers of a new world, reborn from the ashes of the old one. Besides, once I've made my profits from this venture I'll have enough to cement my position as one of the most – if not the most – powerful men in the new world. I might even be king!" They were now hoping to tiptoe out quietly while he wasn't looking, they thought him completely mad, but he continued to look at them intently with a piercing stare which made them feel very uncomfortable.

"What about us?" Jesse asked. "What's our job in all of this?"

"To get out of the way." He responded harshly. "Now get out." They had never been so glad to hear those words.

Just after they took off in their hot air balloon once more, after James had told Jesse and Meowth the full story, Jesse began to speak: "Where to now?"

"I don't know," James responded morbidly. "Maybe we should go back to Pop-Pop and Nanny, live out our final weeks surrounded by the only people who ever loved me", Jesse and Meowth coughed, "…Oh, aside from you two," James replied with a guilty smirk. "Speaking of which, how do you two look at me the same way, even after what I've done?"

"It wasn't your fault," Jesse replied softly. "Ok, maybe you should've told someone, but no one's perfect, and everyone knows you wouldn't deliberately do anything to really hurt anyone. Besides, a lot more people are going to be gone soon, us among them, not because of you but because of crazy people like Giovanni."

"Eureka!" James shouted.

"Huh?"

"This is our chance for redemption for all the things we did to the twerps, and for me not speaking up when I had the chance. We're going to use our knowledge to help save the world."

"How on Earth are we going to stop the combined might of team rocket and team plasma's most high tech inventions, not to mention those pokemon they collected from outer space? Did you consider that genius?" Meowth asked in a harsh tone.

"Well I don't know yet," he struggled for ideas as Jesse and Meowth began to roll their eyes at him, "we'll think of something. Besides, do you really think that even if we survive that there'll be a place for us in team rocket's new world order? The world's already dog-eat-dog enough, can you imagine how we'd cope in a post-apocalyptic scenario? And if you can't do it for others, then do it for the good times we'll have, sipping cocktails together on a beautiful white beach," he joked.

"What do you mean together?" she asked suspiciously.

"I…I meant as friends," he answered nervously, "and with Meowth and Wobberfett."

"Wobber-Wobber."

"And I promise we will come up with at least a half decent plan," he continued, "but first I think we need to go somewhere to rest and contemplate."

"Back to your grandparents?" Jesse asked.

"No, I think somewhere a little bit closer to team rocket's headquarters for the time being." He continued to ponder, "hey Jesse?" He asked suddenly.

"Yes?" she answered.

"If any of the twerps survived, where do you think they would go?"

"I didn't hear any of them discussing travel arrangements, although now I think about it, there were a couple of trainers at that party who mentioned something about a gym leader's tournament, up in Silver City I believe."

"Yes!" James snapped his fingers. "A few of those twerps _are_ gym leaders. So if they did survive, they could well be heading there. And seen as they would no longer be able to fly, in order to get back to Kanto, they would have to travel through that area anyway. So it is," he determined, "Jesse, Meowth, set a course for Silver City."

"Aye-aye Captain," Meowth responded sarcastically.

"Aye-aye Captain," Jesse added, but not in a sarcastic tone.

Ash and his friends had spent the last several days travelling through open fields, lined with trees of various sorts, as they continued their journey eastward. Now only two days walk from Silver City, they came to a point where a river meandered its way through the field. "If we follow it in this direction," said Brock, pointing to the river ahead, "it will take us in a north-easterly direction for some distance. But first I think we'll stop for some lunch, it's around midday anyway."

"Phew," May exclaimed, "my legs are so sore."

They set up two blankets on the grass near a small group of trees which stood alongside the river. They were now getting close to Silver City, but Brock was still strict about the rations rule, so they only got a couple of small sandwiches and a piece of bread and butter each for lunch. They had all let their pokemon out for a play, with the exception of those obtained from the pokemon centre in Azalea Town. But their pokemon alone were almost enough to make up a small army, and watching them interact with one another was almost reminiscent of watching kids play on the schoolyard: the bigger ones, like May's Blaziken, Ash's Charizard, and Brock's Geodude were leading the others in various hide and seek style games. Not long after, they began to play some kind of running game, where the flying pokemon were at an obvious advantage, much to the angst of a number of the non-flying pokemon.

When they had finished lunch, Ash and Serena stayed together, as Serena lay on Ash's legs while he stroked here honey coloured hair. They were both content in each other's company. Brock and Sara took a walk together along the river, while May and Drew went for a dip in the river. Finally, Misty joined Bonnie and Clement as they went down to the river and sat on the shore. "Hey Misty," Bonnie said."

"Yes Bonnie?" she answered kindly.

"I had been wanting to bring this up for some time now", Clement's cheeks began to glow red, he hoped this wasn't going where he thought it was, "I think I should recommend my big brother Clement to you, he's kind, clever, handsome and pretty funny too, so if…""What, Bonnie what are you doing?" he screamed, trying to clamp Bonnie's mouth shut, but it was no use, as she continued to outline Clement's good qualities. The more it went on the more Misty laughed. "That's so sweet! You know Clement?"

"Yeah?" He answered weakly.

"You're lucky to have such a kind sister who's always looking out for you. If that had been my sisters, they would probably be telling boys reasons why they _shouldn't_ date me." He giggled nervously, 'yeah, she's pretty…special isn't she?"

"She is and you two are lucky to have each other to get through these terrible things. You know, for all my sisters' flaws, I wish so badly they were here with me right now."

"I'm sorry to hear that Misty," Clement answered.

There was an awkward silence for some time. Eventually, Misty and Bonnie removed their shoes and put their legs in the water. Clement decided to stay a little further back, as the two girls began chatting to one another about various topics. But every so often, Misty would turn over her shoulder and stare at Clement. Clement eventually smiled back nervously, and she returned the gesture. Then she and Bonnie began whispering to each other. Clement had no idea what they were doing, so instead of worrying about it he lay back on the grass, directly under one of the tall trees, and looked up at the leaves. It was a beautiful, mild summer's day and Clement could see patches of the striking blue sky through gaps in the tree. It helped him to relax to the point where he was close to dosing off but he soon had no problem staying awake: "Uh, wha, what are you doing? Put me down!" But they would not listen to him, but instead began giggling as they carried Clement down to the river and threw him into the water. It was a fair toss, as Misty was quite strong, and when Clement hit the water the impact was quite hard. Misty and Bonnie then dived in and went over to him. He tried to escape but it was to no prevail as the pair got on either side of him and dunked him into the water. After that the torture only consisted of some tugging of his shirt and some playful splashing. After a short period, he realised he was actually quite enjoying himself, and he began to join in.

After a while they got out. When they reached the shore, they removed their wet clothes and wrapped themselves in towels before changing into new clothing. Misty patted Clement on the back: "so you had fun Clement?"

"Well," he began, "eventually I got into the spirit of things, but I wasn't too happy at first."

"I think it's good to have fun sometimes. Everyone needs to have fun, even you Clement," she laughed.

"Ok, yes I know I'm not the life of the party, but that's just me. Take it or leave it."

"Hey, I'm not asking you to change; I just think you need to lighten up a little." She began to muse to herself, "I know I needed a bit of fun, as much as anybody."

"Why do you say that, do you mean because of everything that's going on?"

"Not just that. I…I had very strong feelings for someone, but they didn't feel the same way."

"Oh, you mean Ash?" She nodded. "I'm sorry, I really am. But don't feel too bad about it, Ash and Serena have always had a particularly strong chemistry, it's not your fault." She had tears welling in her eyes now, "I know, but it doesn't change how you feel, you know?"

"I've heard love is like that."

"Hey, you're a big brain, what do you think of it? Love I mean. Is it real, or am I depressed about nothing?"

"Well," he began to ponder it over in his head, "love does certainly have a chemical element to it. However, from my experience, it's my belief there are certain kinds of relationships that can't be explained by science alone, not just romantic, but all different kinds. Indeed love is a great mystery, but it's also a very powerful force for good."

"And do you think that when two people fall in love, that it's like love at first sight, or does it sometimes happen differently? And if so, when it does happen differently, can it be just as special as love at first sight?"

"Hmmm, interesting question. You see this tree?" Pointing to the tall pine needle next to them, Misty nodded. "When that started its life it was nothing more than a small seed, and now look at it. So I think sometimes love is a little bit like the beauty of nature, it starts out small but then it grows big and beautiful."

"Clement," she spoke softly, "that's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard someone say about love, thank you so much."

"You're welcome, I'm happy I could help."

"So," she continued, "would you like to take a walk through all this beautiful nature?"

"It would be my pleasure."

And so they did. Misty was particularly interested in his inventions which he discussed with her at length, including the long range heat motion detector he was currently working on. She also took an interest in his electric-type gym, while he was intrigued to develop his skills with water types. But eventually they found other things to talk about as well, with each finding it quite easy to talk to the other. It also made them both feel more relaxed.

By the time they returned to camp, Brock informed them it was time to hit the road once more. Along the way, Misty and Clement continued to bond, albeit with some interference from Bonnie, while the other couples also spent most of their time with one another. All of a sudden, what started out as one big group of friends and acquaintances had turned into a couple's club. In spite of this, their bonds of friendship were continuing to blossom: Clement and Brock were getting on fairly well with each other as they shared the cooking duties, while Misty continued to bond with Bonnie over water pokemon and the Cerulean gym – Bonnie decided that her next journey would be in Kanto -, and Serena, May and Drew had long discussions about the differences between - and respective merits of - contests and showcases, which almost bored Ash to death.

The next day, the land began to climb gradually as they found their way onto the victory road shortly before midday. It was not long before they ran into more gym leaders, trainers and general spectators who were heading into town for the gym leader's tournament. Those they talked to seemed to have no doubt the tournament would be going ahead. And as the day wore on, the number of people they encountered heading to Silver City increased.

Late that afternoon, May saw something out of the corner of her eye along the side of the road, partially hanging out of the bushes, "Ahh!" she screamed.

"What is it May?" The others responded.

"Look at that, that thing," she said with simultaneous horror and disgust, "I think it's one of them." Brock and Ash went to inspect the creature, which was in fact, the body of one of the alien pokemon. The lifeless body was almost completely intact, except for a large hole around its abdomen. He knew it was an evil creature, but in a certain respect, Ash felt sorry for the creature as he looked into its lifeless face. He felt a little sad as well. This one was a little different from the others, and had a rabbit like appearance, but the colouring and size were similar to the mouse-like ones they had encountered the previous week. Brock also noticed something else: "what is that?" He said, intrigued, as he pulled a small metallic device out of the creature's left ear. Ash and a number of the others stared closely at the device. After a short time Clement spoke: "I think this just about confirms my earlier theory."

"What theory Clement?" Ash asked.

"That those machines, they're not aliens, they're of Earth origin." The others reacted with shock. "Clearly," he continued, "this is some kind of device used to control these creatures' behaviour, in other words a mind control device, and if you look more closely at the structure of these devices, it's obvious that they're built with simple, contemporary Earth materials. Now I'm not saying it's a one hundred percent open and shut case, but certainly in all likelihood, this was built by some individual or organisation based here on Earth."

"But no one's seen these pokemon before Clement," Serena answered, "so how could they be from Earth?"

"I didn't say they were, I said the machines were and the people who implanted these devices in these unidentified pokemon."

"But Clement," Misty began, "how could that be? Are you implying that there's some sort of secret space program we don't know about?"

"Well that would certainly be one possibility."

"But how can that be?" Drew interjected, "there's no other planet in the solar system which can sustain life, and the next solar system is several light years away, so there's no conceivable way."

"Indeed Drew it is a puzzle, but I'm going on what I see in front of me. What we see is real, and therefore there must be some logical way of explaining it. Also, just because we're unaware of any space program being able to travel light years into space doesn't mean there isn't one. The people behind it may have a reason for wanting to keep it hidden."

"Maybe they came through a wormhole," May answered.

"Correct May," Clement answered, "wormholes are a real life phenomenon. It's also possible that they mastered the ability to bend space as well."

"Actually, I should fill you guys in on something," Sara began. "For some time now we've been monitoring unidentified rockets taking off in the northern region of Johto. I suppose it fits in pretty well with the timing of all of the things that are happening at the moment."

"Do you have any suspects?" Clement asked.

"No clear leads I'm afraid, but we're looking into a number of groups and organisations at the moment. The problem is, the launches are usually in different areas and not reported by our operatives until after the event, so by the time we get out there, it's almost impossible to identify the specific site the rocket would've taken off from. One time we thought we might have identified a launch site but even when we got out there we couldn't find any evidence to work with."

"At least this is all a step in the right direction," Ash declared. "It's just like the GS ball, the more we persist and the longer our journey goes on, the more answers we'll get."

"Agreed Ash," Brock responded, "speaking of which, we need to keep on moving if we're going to get to Silver City tomorrow, and I want to get several miles further before stopping for the night, so let's move."

They did just that and then some, nine miles in fact, before stopping for the night in a small forest clearing, not far from the road. As usual it was rations, but they knew this would probably be the last night they would have to endure this, at least for quite some time, so they ate their small dinner with happy hearts and didn't stay up for too long before heading to bed. They were eager to get to Silver City as early as possible the next day. Ash kept on imagining what it would be like when they reached the pokemon centre there, and all the food and drink he would consume. The others were in a similar frame of mind, but on this night, it didn't take any of them too long to get to sleep.

They started out early the next morning, with everyone eager to reach their destination. And early that afternoon, after a steep climb, the bright skyline of Silver City loomed before them. They wasted no time and ran through the gates with fervour. They felt like they had died and arrived in heaven.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

At around 9:00am that morning, team rocket were continuing to enjoy the accommodation in their Silver City hotel room, as they had for the previous three days. Jesse was spending her morning in the bathroom making sure she looked her best, while James continued to try to think of a plan to defeat Giovanni and team rocket, along with team plasma. However, he was getting nowhere at present. He had never been good at thinking outside the box; he concluded that was the difference between most successful people and most unsuccessful people. But he was soon distracted from further feeding his inner demons when Meowth began, who was standing near the window, began to speak: "hey James, there seem to be quite a few gym leaders and trainers coming into the City now. I think if the twerps are coming, today is probably the day we'll see them, maybe tomorrow at the latest."

"Hey Jesse!" James called out.

"Yes James!" She called back.

"When does the tournament begin?"

"In two days, this Wednesday."

"Thank you Jesse. I guess you're right Meowth," he continued, "today, maybe tomorrow at the latest, is our last chance of seeing them. If they don't show, I think we can be pretty certain that they met with foul play, and that will be bye-bye twerps", he said in a dejected tone, as his eyes began to water. Meowth began to pat his back, "come on pretty boy, don't get too sad, you've still got us. And I think, from all those times I've spent with Pikachu and the rest of those twerps, they're pretty hard to finish off, so I think there's a pretty good chance they'll be coming through those gates sometime today."

"Thanks Meowth. Oh well, I guess we'll know soon enough. Sometimes the wait is the hardest part."

Jesse finally came out of the bathroom. "There is one thing we could do," she began, "how about we go and ask a couple of the trainers entering the City if they've seen the twerps along the way. There're bound to be a few who know at least one of the twerps personally."

"Yes Jesse!" James exclaimed. "That's a fine idea. We'll head down there after breakfast."

James began scoffing his breakfast down; he couldn't bear to wait much longer. Jesse and Meowth gave each other concerned looks. "Hey James?" Jesse questioned.

"Yes Jesse?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why exactly do you care about the twerps so much, I mean we all care about them, but why you more than us? We have just as much to lose as you if they are gone, so what makes it different with you?"

"Ok, you want the truth?"

"It usually helps."

"The twerp with the Pikachu, Ash, is my cousin. He's my second cousin to be exact, on my father's side. His grandfather is Nanny's younger brother." They looked at him with stunned silence, their mouths hanging open, even Wobberfett was staring with a strange look on his face: "What!" They shouted, loud enough for the entire hotel to hear, "Wobber-Wobber!"

"Shhhh! All of you just shush ok."

"What is it with you and secrets James, life isn't some sort of game, you can't keep doing this to us. I know I'm still in my twenties, but I don't know how much more my heart can take."

"Ok, I'm sorry Jesse but I had my reasons. It might have cost me my job."

"Why on Earth would that make a difference, does Giovanni even know who the kid is?"

"Ah, hello, Earth to Jesse," Meowth bellowed, "remember he dated the twerp's mother for a period."

"Oh yes that's right, point taken."

"Besides," James continued, I had to consider his feelings. His father already left him, he doesn't need any more male members of his family letting him down. In a way I'm ashamed to be his cousin. He's so kind and virtuous and I'm"…. "You," Meowth completed.

"Exactly," James answered.

"So if I'm getting the straight of this," Jesse spoke, "you're related to him on his father's side?"

"Correct."

"And the kid doesn't know?"

"Also correct."

"What was the deal with the father anyway, didn't things work out between him and the mother?"

"I never got the full story but my understanding was Nanny's brother was a world famous pokemon master and Ash's father was desperate to follow in his own father's footsteps, so when Ash was no longer an infant and his mother didn't need as much help raising him, he went to fulfil his destiny as he saw it. That's what I've been told by my father, who's his first cousin obviously."

"And where's he been the last few years or so?"

"Travelling around the different regions but apparently still not feeling completely fulfilled. He's a bit of a nomad I think, just drifts from place to place, trying to make friends with every new pokemon he finds. Apparently he thinks he can communicate with them somehow."

"You mean the aura?" Jesse exclaimed.

"Well I don't know if he really had it or not. He was always a little bit eccentric, or so I've been told. According to my father, he was the one in the family with the most talent, one of those rare people who was good at pretty much everything: pokemon battles, poke-ring, academics, you name it. He even worked at team rocket briefly."

"You're joking?"

"That was around the time they started their secret space program, he was one of the best and brightest members of team rocket, but there was, let's say, a family feud."

"Your father?"

James went silent. He gave no answer. "Anyway, he ended up meeting Delia through Giovanni, who she was dating at the time. And not long after they broke if off, the two of them ended up together. I don't think Giovanni ever let it go, you know."

"Wait just a minute," Meowth began, "there seem to be a few holes in that story. First, why didn't you say who the family feud was with, and you make it sound like he met Delia after he left team rocket but if he met her through Giovanni then it's more likely he met her while he was still there."

"No, that's not true. He and Giovanni stayed in contact after he left team rocket."

"What is it you're hiding now James, tell us," Jesse urged

"Yeah James, the gig is up," Meowth shouted.

"I'm not telling either of you anything else. Not one more word!" he screamed, "you got the picture."

"Ok James," Jesse answered nervously, "we weren't trying to offend you, we're just trying to help." He began to calm down, "ok, a man can only reveal so much of his personal life in one morning. The rest, I'll let you know when I'm ready ok." They both nodded.

After breakfast, they went down the main street which was filled with people coming in for the tournament. It was a festive atmosphere: despite everything that had happened, people seemed so happy; there were children playing, couples holding hands, families eating in the restaurants, or at the stalls set up in the middle of the street. It warmed James' heart and Jesse's likewise.

When they got towards the end of the street, not far from the entrance into the city, they saw a small group of trainers having a pokemon battle. They came up to one boy, aged somewhere in his mid-teens, who was watching the battle. "Hello there" Jesse said, "how are you today?"

"Oh, I'm great thanks. I'm excited about the tournament. My friend's one of the best gym leaders in the land, I think he's a real chance of winning."

"What region is he from?"

"Genoa."

"That's great. I haven't been there before, I'm interested to see what sort of pokemon he'll have. But, I did actually want to ask you something?" He looked a little surprised, "ok, what is it?"

"Well, with everything that's going on, a lot of people have become separated from each other, me and my friend were wondering about the well-being of a certain group of trainers and gym leaders who were with us in Azalea City a couple of weeks back?"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. What were their names?"

"Well the big twer…I mean, one of the gym leaders is a very highly skilled trainer and gym leader, his name was Brock, he has kind of squinty eyes, darkish complexion."

"Oh Brocko, yeah I saw him yesterday."

"That's fantastic! Who was he with?"

"He was with a pretty large group actually. Let's see, I think there was his girlfriend; a couple of blond haired kids; and there was also a red-haired girl, and a couple of others. I think one of the guys had a Pikachu on his shoulder."

"Yep, that's all I need to know. Thank you very much for your help."

"You're welcome."

Jesse turned back to James who looked over the moon. They both started jumping up and down and high fiving each other, "Whoo-hoo, the twerps are alive! The twerps are alive!" They started to get some funny looks from people around them: "hey geniuses!" Meowth grabbed them with his claws, "do you mind not blowing our cover?"

"Cover," James seemed perplexed, "do we even need a cover any more. It's not like we're trying to catch Pikachu anymore."

"Well," Jesse began to contemplate, "it would be okay to keep our options open, but James is right, we have more immediate concerns."

"Okay, suit yourselves," Meowth answered, shrugging his shoulders.

They waited near the entrance to the city for around another two hours before they saw a group of several people, some of them were walking towards the entrance, others were sprinting right towards them: it was them. James placed himself right in the middle of the street, so as to be noticed. At first they seemed oblivious to what was in front of them, but then a few of them began to look in James' direction, "Ash" James shouted running towards his secret relative, "it's good to see you." When Ash first recognised him, he was caught in a state somewhere between joy and disbelief. He and James continued to approach one another and James put his arms around Ash and gave him a hug, a gesture which Ash returned.

"I thought you were…" They both said simultaneously.

"I know James," Ash began, "we thought you guys were gone too."

"Ash."

"Yeah?"

"Jesse, Meowth and myself would like to apologise for all the things we've done to you. The last few weeks have given me a lot of direction and I promise from now on, we won't come after your Pikachu. From now on, I'll be using my talents predominantly for good, there won't be any more stealing pokemon, you have my word."

Ash still wasn't certain. "You really promise James?" He had to examine himself and think about it for a few moments: "Yes, this is it, I promise Ash."

"Thank you James, I really appreciate it." But most of his friends, judging by their expressions, still were far from convinced.

"Now Ash," James continued, "there's something I have to tell you."

"What is it James?"

"I'm"…He began to hesitate, "I'm…afraid for you and your friends' safety. I fear that this war isn't over yet." This is what Ash had feared, as a dark cloud of dread came over him, making his heart skip a beat. "You know, I've had the same feeling too. Have you heard about a proph…"

"Wait a minute," shouted Misty, "how can you know the danger's not over yet?"

"Um…just a feeling, that's all." He answered nervously, wishing he hadn't opened his stupid mouth.

"Would you like to discuss it with me?" Sara asked in an intimidating tone.

"Ahhh, you again," he squealed. "No, I know nothing!" he maintained defiantly. Anyway, farewell all, I'll catch up with you again tomorrow, too-da-loo!" He then ran back to where Jesse, Meowth and Wobberfett were standing. The four of them then bolted back down the main street in the direction of their hotel room.

"So it looks like team rocket are the ones behind this," Misty said crossly.

"Don't worry," Sara added, "I'll be asking them a few questions before we leave."

"I'm an idiot aren't I?" Ash said in a dejected tone. "I actually thought I could trust team rocket."

"I told you when you saw them again you'd wish they hadn't survived," Brock joked.

"Oh no Brock, quite the opposite in fact. Despite all of team rocket's flaws, I'm glad they survived. In fact, this is the happiest I've felt in quite some time, and something tells me destiny is playing a hand in all of this." Serena gave him a questioning glance. Then all of a sudden, he remembered the GS ball which he was carrying in his bag. He planned to carry it around in his pocket for much of their stay in Silver City. He had a theory he wanted to test.

They then headed to the pokemon centre to book accommodation, and to allow Brock and Misty to register for the tournament.

"So brock?" Ash asked when they arrived, "how many people are going to be in this tournament?"

"Glad you asked Ash. There will be two representatives from each of the twelve regions, making for a total of twenty four participants. In the preliminary rounds, there will be six groups consisting of four gym leaders each, who will all battle against each other once, meaning each leader will compete in three preliminary matches. From each group, the top two will advance, leaving a total of twelve competitors remaining. Of those twelve, the top four ranked competitors will be given a day's rest, while the remaining eight will compete in the wildcard round. This consists of four one-on-one battles, with the four winners advancing to the final eight. From there, it's the same format as any pokemon league, the quarter finals, semi finals and then the final where the champion will be crowned. Also, all battles in the preliminary rounds will be three-on-three battles, while all battles from that point on will be five-on-five. Got any questions?"

"That's cool Brock, and no, I think I've got it covered."

"Great, now I'm off to sign, coming Misty?"

"Right behind you Brock," she answered enthusiastically.

They both went up to the front counter, where a lady asked for their gym leader licenses and other personal details, before giving them both paper forms to sign. Brock began to sign his, but as Misty was about to sign, she suddenly turned back to the others, "Hey Clement," she shouted. He walked, slightly nervously, up to where she was standing next to Brock. "What is it Misty?"

"You're a gym leader right?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well, why don't you sign up as well, I know you'd be great."

"Oh, well I hadn't really thought about it." He began to think about it before deciding, "no, I'm sorry, I just wasn't prepared for this, I'd get eaten alive. My spot should go to someone who has done the preparation."

"No!" Misty answered back. "Look at me Clement", she said somewhat manically, "I listened to you talking about pokemon the other day, and I've listened to you from time to time since we started travelling together. You know as much as Brock does, and you're smarter than anyone I know", Brock suddenly had an angered expression written on his face. "I know you can do this," she continued more gently, "I know if you do a bit of preparation over the next two days and give it your best shot, you'll go a long way in this tournament, trust me," she finished softly, as she leant in and pecked him on the lips. Clement was shocked at first but then he smiled: "well, that's definitely good extra motivation. Okay, if I can handle giant machines, I think I can handle a tournament."

"Great!" She shouted enthusiastically, grabbing Clement by the arm. "Um, Madam, could you bring out one more form please?"

"Certainly," the bun-haired lady responded kindly.

She handed Clement his form and he began to fill in the necessary sections. He then handed her is gym leader's license. "Congratulations young man, you're now officially registered."

Ash and the others were observing these events with much interest. "Yay" Bonnie exclaimed, my brother's going to be in the gym leader's championship, woo-hoo!"

"Clement…and Misty," Serena's jaw dropped.

"What are you implying Serena?" Drew asked smugly.

"It's just that, I didn't even know Clement noticed girls."

"Oh, Serena!" Bonny exclaimed, "don't be silly, my brother notices a lot of things he doesn't mention much."

"And I should mention that Misty does have her charms," Ash noted, "she could probably put a spell on a lot of guys."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Serena raged.

"It's just a joke. Don't worry about it Serena. Besides I already said I never really felt that way about Misty."

"Ok Ash, I'll let you off just this once." The others began to snigger. That'll be the day, Ash said to himself, annoyed by Serena's recent oversensitivity.

Suddenly Ash remembered the GS ball. He decided this would be a good time to get it out. As he suspected, it was glowing but not as much as it had immediately before the invasion back in Azalea Town. The others were now staring, including Brock, Misty and Clement, who were returning from the counter. "So I guess," Clement began, "unless we get attacked in the next few hours or so, that means the royal heir theory is back on the table?"

"That's correct Clement. Hey Drew, could you come and hold this for a moment?" Ash asked.

"Ok Ash", he responded, looking slightly nervous. "He took the gold and silver coloured ball from Ash; it was still glowing, a fairly strong white light beaming outward. He held it in his hands for several seconds but its hue remained consistent, it got no brighter, nor any duller."

"Thanks Drew."

"So I think we can firmly establish I'm not the chosen one," he responded smugly.

"Yes Drew, I think so. But I believe the heir was in Azalea Town at that party, and I believe they're somewhere in Silver City right now."

"That means it's probably a gym leader," May answered.

"That may well be true May. But not necessarily."

"You suspect someone else don't you?" Brock noted. Ash nodded. "Oh well", he concluded, we'll know when destiny is ready for us to know. Anyway, I think Pikachu and I would like a rest, and I'm sure some of you guys would too, so what do you say, will we head up to our rooms now?" The rest of them nodded their heads in agreement. Just a few minutes later, they were all resting happily on their big, comfortable beds, ready for whatever the coming days would throw at them.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The next morning, Ash was awoken by his alarm at around 8:00am. He fell back asleep twice before wrestling himself out of bed around twenty minutes to nine. After showering and getting dressed, he woke up Pikachu and the two went downstairs for breakfast. When he got downstairs all of the others were already there, including an unexpected visitor.

"Ash, finally! It's great to see you again."

"Dawn! I'm happy to see you too. Are you competing in the tournament as well?"

"Sure am. I got my gym leaders license a few months ago. I could've competed in the Sinnoh league but instead I spent the time training to be a gym leader, that's how excited I was about competing in this tournament," she rambled enthusiastically, in her slightly Ash-like manner, "of course, I was really excited about becoming a gym leader as well, you know, but I've wanted to compete in the gym leader's championship since I first became a trainer, isn't that right Piplup?"

"Lup-lup."

"So that's four of you now," May noted, "wow, you're starting to make the rest of us are look pretty bad," she joked.

"I'm sorry May, I had to put you in your place," Dawn replied jokingly. "So Ash," she continued, "Serena was telling me you've got a mysterious pokeball that you're trying to find the rightful owner of." He nodded in reply. "Do you think it could be me, I mean, it's worth checking to make sure isn't it?"

"I'm sorry Dawn, we're looking for a king"… "Oh, I get it," she cut in, "you assume it has to be a man."

"No Dawn," he replied with an amused expression, "the prophecy speaks specifically about a king, so it's nothing personal."

"Oh, well can I touch it anyway?"

"Sure Dawn."

Ash took the ball out of his pocket, it was now twice as bright as it had been the day before, almost as bright as it was back in Azalea Town. "Hey Ash?" Brock asked.

"Yeah Brock?" Ash asked with an air of excitement in his voice.

"Did you ever think, maybe you are the heir?"

"No Brock, because then it should be this bright whenever I carry it."

"I suppose, but you say this ball recognises the heir. In that case, maybe it has a mind of its own, so it only glows when it wants to?" A few of the others began to nod in agreement with Brock. "I don't know, Ash responded, "you could be right, but I'm still confident there is an heir around here and that it's not me." Secretly, he didn't want it to be him, he didn't want the responsibility.

"I agree with Ash," Clement noted, "because when Kurt gave Ash the ball, you would think if it had been him, the ball would've reacted, but it hardly lit up at all, we were there."

"How about this," May began, "perhaps it's glowing brighter now because the heir is in this hotel, because they're one of the competitors or their entourage right? So let's go up to as many people as possible and get them to touch the ball?"

"Yes!" Ash screamed, "let's do it."

"Um, hello you two," Drew mocked, "there's such a thing as personal space, I don't think people want you to storm into their rooms."

"Then we'll wait here," Ash determined. Most of the others appeared reluctant, but they stayed with him. May seemed fascinated with the ball, and after a while she approached Ash and asked if she could hold it?"

"Ok May, but don't get too excited, we can't afford to lose it."

"Pinkie swear," she responded excitedly, touching her little finger against Ash's; his chestnut haired friend had always made him laugh. He then handed the ball to her. What it did next was totally unexpected: it began to glow brighter, even brighter than back in Azalea Town, then it began to shake until it burst open. May's hands were shaking as she dropped the ball onto the table in front of her. It was about to roll off before Ash caught it. Inside he noticed an old looking sheet of parchment. Ash's eyes were brimming with excitement, "this is it, the ancient prophecy. I think May was meant to be the one to read it."

"Let's read it together," she answered. "All of us." He nodded in agreement, as everyone else came and stood around the table where Ash and May were sitting together. They began to read.

The early sections made references to the story Steven had told about legendary pokemon and ancient tribes who were able to communicate with those same pokemon, who also possessed the aura. Most of the remainder of the prophecy dealt with the content discussed by Kurt, except in slightly more detail. It mentioned more details about a royal family:

 _The seed of the old royal family of Kanto will be joined together in those days, but the heir will not be the heir according to blood, but rather the one chosen by our kin, from out of the royal bloodline…_ "Wait a minute," Misty shouted, "I don't get it, first it says the heir will not be chosen according to blood, then it says the chosen one will come from the royal bloodline." Bonnie nodded in agreement, "I'm confused to," she whined.

"It's actually really simple," Clement said gently. "Royal inheritance is based on a patrilineal system, in other words, the oldest surviving male son is supposed to inherit the throne, or if there is no male heir, then the eldest surviving daughter inherits. But in this case, the heir won't be selected according to that system, but rather, he will come from another branch of the royal family. Does that make sense?" They both nodded in agreement. "Actually I was wondering about that too," Ash added. "Actually," Brock noted, "the rules of royal succession are a little more intricate than that, but the general premise is correct."

They then continued to read, and it was not long before May's hands began to shake. "Oh my…" She was reading the next section, along with the others:

 _But the heir according to blood will by no means be the least of those to fight in the great war. He will form a bond with the girl from the south, who during Kanto's darkest hour, will ride upon the wings of our leader – the guardian pokemon of Kanto - who will reveal to her the heir. Then she will deliver the pokeball of gold and silver, and the prophecy contained within the ball, to the heir, who will take upon him the pokeball and summon our leader, and together the king and the guardian will lead the people and pokemon of Earth to victory. The pokemon from the heavens will be turned from darkness to light, the great three limbed animals will tumble to the earth, along with the great menace, who will also come from the royal bloodline, and all things will be restored as they were."_

"What is it May?" Drew asked anxiously, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I think it's talking about me."

"How can you possibly know something like that?"

"Well think about it. Firstly, the ball opened when I touched it, and I guess I am a girl from the south because Hoenn is South of Kanto and Johto."

"Ok, outside chance maybe. But I would want to see a fair bit more proof before we jump to any hasty conclusions."

"I think you're right Drew," Ash agreed. "But I still agree with May, it came to her for a reason and I think we can be pretty certain that she, and probably others among our group, have a role to play in the events that are soon to unfold."

"Anyone want some macaroons?" Serena asked.

"Yes!" They all shouted, wanting any excuse to take their minds off the events of the previous half hour, from which they were still trembling with fear.

Meanwhile, Jesse, James, Meowth and Wobberfett had set up a stall in the main street, not far from the stadium, where they were attempting to sell forged memorabilia. "Get your own official gym leaders games t-shirt, signed by the great Brock himself," Jesse declared, shouting out in whatever direction she could to get the attention of the crowds. James also chimed in but somewhat less enthusiastically: "come right up and get your free gym leaders games badges, signed by the competitors themselves: get a Misty and Vincenzo two-for-one-deal now, only ten dollars…no, make that five, five dollars. "No James," Jesse pleaded, "don't get desperate, not yet. We've already made a few sales, just keep on going for another few hours, and at this rate we'll be well on our way to having the money we need."

"Oh, what's the point," James moaned. "We've already been over this, do you really think us having a little bit of money is going to be enough to bribe our way into a positon of safety in the new world order? I think, personally, it would be better for us to die with everyone else rather than endure all of that anyway."

"No James!" She cried, slapping him across the face. "Get with it, you're not giving up ok, whichever way it goes. Start being a man for crying out loud. Besides, this money could give us enough to bribe someone back at team rocket headquarters to let us bunker with them during the worst of it."

"But we're already members of team rocket, won't they let us in if we come knocking?"

"I wouldn't count on it."

Moments later, a girl of no more than eight, approached James, "Excuse me," she began softly, "could I have a Misty badge?"

"Yes, you certainly can," he answered, slightly hesitantly. Suddenly his head was filled with the voice of his Pop-Pop. He knew eventually he had to make a stand, even after everything that had happened. He was beginning to realise being 'good' wasn't an easy path, rather it was a path that often requires courage and the ability to go against the tide. As he brought out the badge he decided to make a stand: "I'm sorry," he said sincerely to the young girl, you wouldn't want this badge, it's a fake you see. I apologise again. Now run off and have a good day." She had a bewildered expression on her face, but she soon did as James told her and headed off towards another stall. When he turned around he was not surprised to see the expressions on Jesse and Meowth's faces, but this time he decided he would speak first: "That's right, from now on we're doing it my way." They remained silent, thinking it best not to speak back. They hoped James was just in a slightly delirious state, which would be remedied by a good meal and a decent night's sleep, but something told them it would not be quite that simple. A new James was materialising right before their eyes.

It was now a tick after 7:30pm as Ash and the others began to file into the stadium for the opening ceremony. Brock, Misty, Dawn, and Clement were not with them, as they had gone down into the bowels of the stadium to prepare for the ceremony. Everyone was in a good mood due to not only their excitement about the start of the tournament, but also the fact they had all spoken to their families via phone that afternoon. "I'm glad I got to speak to mom and dad," May spoke, "but I still wish I could've spoken to Max."

"Why couldn't you?" Serena asked.

"Because he's on his way to the Hoenn league and he doesn't carry a phone with him."

"Oh, that's ok, I'm sure he'll be in touch in the next few days or so."

"I hope so," she responded with some anxiety.

They all put their tickets through the machine next to the front entrance and proceeded through to their seats. The stadium was a cake-tin shape with one main, large grandstand, circling the field below. Ash, Serena, May, Drew, Bonny, and Sara were seated only a few rows from the very top. They continued to chat away as the seats around them continued to fill with spectators. It was the middle of summer so the sun had not yet set, making for an amazing view of the stadium and its surrounds, from where they were seated. Beyond the stadium they could see some of the taller buildings in the City and even some of the trees and hills beyond the city itself, which were cast a brilliant golden green colour by the evening sunlight. "Not a bad view hey guys," Sara noted.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Ash replied admiringly. "We're really blessed aren't we?"

"You can say that again," Drew responded. "Aren't we girl?" He said to May, as he grabbed her in his arms. "Thanks Drew and yes we are." She began to look at him, with affectionate eyes and a warm smile. "You're awesome," she spoke softly.

"You're the best," he responded, "I love you."

"Love you too."

Serena began to stare at Ash, trying to get his attention. Soon Sara was also gazing at him suggestively; she even gave him a small nudge with her elbow. He felt guilty but he found such situations very awkward. For him, he was either in the mood to show affection or he wasn't. He didn't think there was any point in faking such things.

Soon the awkwardness of that situation came to an end when the announcer opened proceedings, as the crowd gave a huge, collective cheer. "…But before we start the official ceremony, we ask that all of you would observe a minute's silence for all those who lost their lives in Johto." As the slience began, Ash could see the tears beginning to roll down Serena's eyes. This whole tragedy seemed to have devastated her more than anybody else, including Ash himself. But this did not surprise him: while Serena may have seemed a little bit vain and self-important in the eyes of some, he knew her to have a fiercely strong sense of justice and a strong empathy for others. While the rest of them, despite their sadness, were for the most part just happy to have survived, he knew it wasn't that easy for Serena. Now the moment felt right for Ash, so without being disrespectful to those paying their respects, he leaned in and gently put his arm around Serena. She smiled back at him warmly, as he kept his arm around her for the remainder of the silence, while simultaneously reflecting on those who had been lost. As he did, he noticed the GS ball in his pocket glowing a little brighter.

Once the silence had been observed, it was time for the torchbearer to enter the stadium. The young man ran up and lit the giant flame, which was placed above a small set of steps in the middle of the arena. It was dusk when it was lit and it made for a marvellous site, as the crowd roared with excitement.

Soon, the announcer spoke again: "Now it's time to bring out the contestants, they are the following…" The announcer introduced each region, and the two contestants who would be representing each region, who walked out next to each other. Ash couldn't wait to see his friends but the first regions announced were the Orange Islands and Genoa, so he didn't see anyone familiar yet. But soon he did see someone familiar who he wasn't expecting to see when Unova was announced: it was his old friend Cilan, who was walking side by side with a female gym leader, who Ash didn't recognise. He was trying to call out to his old friend, but from where Ash was sitting, and with all the noise the crowd was making, there was no way he was going to recognise him. But only moments later, Johto and their two gym leaders, including Brock, were announced to the spectators: they got the loudest roar of all, especially Brock, who walked alongside Whitney, who Ash remembered from Goldenrod City. Not long afterwards, Dawn walked out alongside a leader who Ash did not recognise. She was followed by Clement, who was walking next to none other than Korrina. The two of them appeared to be having a conversation together as they walked towards the flame. Then there were a couple more regions Ash was yet to visit: Albion, where the gym leaders consisted of a red-haired man and a blond-haired girl, who both looked around Brock's age, and very happy in each other's company – which reminded Ash a little of Misty and Clement–; then there was the Zhou region, which also consisted of one male and one female gym leader; and finally came Kanto, as Misty walked out onto the arena alongside another female gym leader whom Ash did not recognise.

All the gym leaders now stood at the foot of the steps, beneath the lit flame, as the announcer spoke again: "everyone give a round of applause for our competitors, as they complete a lap around the stadium." They did just that. When they came around to where Ash and his friends were seated, Ash noticed Misty and Clement were now walking together, and chatting away, as he and the others screamed trying to get their attention. Brock looked up towards them for a few moments, but he appeared uncertain. "Come on Brock, can't you tell it's us?" Sara whined.

"Oh well," Drew resigned, "we'll be with them again soon and everyone had a good time."

"That's right Drew," Ash responded cheerfully. "So, is everyone excited about the tournament?"

"Sure are Ashy boy," Serena replied.

"Whoo-Hoo, go Clement, go Clement," Bonny started jumping up and down on her seat, full of beans.

"I'm Readyyy!" May added, which made Ash and the others laugh.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The following morning Ash again overslept. Finally, a little before 10:00am, Serena had to come in and shake him awake: "Yeah, Yeah, ok. Be there in a minute."

"Sorry Ash, but you'll never learn otherwise." Ash was trying to work out what she meant when suddenly he felt a tug, as Serena pulled out his covers. Now he had no choice but to force himself out of bed, as he ran for the bathroom and the comfort of a warm shower, where he also remained longer than he ought.

But it wasn't just oversleeping and ten minute showers where Ash was proving to be sluggish of late. It was his general conduct. There was still much of the old Ash about him, but he definitely wasn't the conscientious and motivated young trainer he used to be. He knew it, his friends knew it and he knew they knew it. It wasn't that he did it on purpose; he wanted to be his old hardworking and reliable self: he just couldn't find the motivation, even after recent events. But in a way, they had only compounded the problem. Too much had happened to him for him to go back to being his old self. He needed to find a new fire, 'but how?' he mused to himself. That was the question. A question he continued to ponder as he collected Pickachu and headed downstairs to the lobby where Serena was now waiting for him, her beautiful smile beaming in his direction as he approached.

"Ready for preliminary round?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Sure am", he responded likewise. "Ok Serena, let's do this!"

It was a mostly sunny day as they headed out into the crowded and lively main street, with just the odd white cloud here and there. Just the way they both liked it. Ash held Serena's hand as he soaked up the atmosphere and joined the line of joyful and excited spectators on their way to the tournament arenas, with some sampling a selection of street food along the way. There were many pokemon also, who seemed equally enthusiastic. Ash could not have been happier, feeling a world away from all the troubles he and his friends had left behind before arriving in Silver City. He was finally having a 'good day.' Things were just the way he wanted them.

About 20 minutes later he and Serena arrived at the entrance to the labyrinth of outside courts and larger stadiums where the tournament was taking place. After showing their tickets and entering through the main gate, they wandered around, trying to decide which matches to watch. "Well…" Serena began as she pulled out a program, "according to this the second round of matches for the day begin at 11:00 which is only 15 minutes from now, so we should decide quickly. Apparently Misty's second match is in the main arena, which will be full by now. But Brock's second and third matches are on Arena number 2, and Clement's final match is in Arena number 3. But I think we will have to choose one or the other because we probably won't be able to get a seat at one once we leave the other, so what do you think, Clement or Brock?"

"Oh please don't go there Serena haha. Hmm…who's on next at Arena number 3?"

"I don't think it's anyone we…oh no, wait!" She responded excitedly. "It's your friend Dawn. So what do you think?"

"Tough choice, but I haven't seen Dawn battle for so long, and I really want to see how Clement goes in his first tournament, so I think we'll head over to Arena number 3."

"Great, let's go."

Meanwhile, May, Drew and Bonnie were on one of the outside arenas where Clement's first match had just finished. Unfortunately for Clement it had ended in a comprehensive defeat, having been convincingly outplayed by his opponent from the Orange Islands. He had only managed to defeat one of his opponent's pokemon and he had looked very nervous from the beginning. His dejection was obvious for all to see. "Oh no", Bonnie lamented, "this isn't what we wanted at all."

"Don't give up", Drew answered, "he was starting to find his rhythm as the match went on. If he can take that momentum into his next match, then he will have a good chance of victory. And remember if he wins his next two matches, he still goes through to the next round."

"I know", Bonnie answered. "But what are the odds of that happening?"

"It's not a question of the odds. The odds change from minute to minute, from battle to battle. It's a question of being in the moment and battling your best. And that takes good strategy and belief."

"Belief…that's easier said than done", May answered morbidly.

"Why do you sound so upset May?" Bonnie asked in a concerned tone.

"Oh, she's just worried because her brother hasn't gotten in touch with her yet", Drew answered. "But I've already explained to her that there were no reports of anything bad happening outside of Johto, but she's always been such a worrier."

"It just isn't like Max to wait this long", May answered. "And with every day that passes the more worried I get."

"Look, I bet he'll be in touch any day from now. In fact, I'd be willing to bet he'll get in touch with you today."

"Oh yeah, based on what logic?" May was starting to sound almost manic. "The fact that he hasn't the last thirty days? Oh yeah, I'm sure I'll hear my phone buzzing any moment now. Well, I'd ask you Drew, what are the odds of that hah! What are the chances?" Just moments later her phone did exactly that. "Well", Drew began, "who is it?" May looked down at her phone. All of a sudden she began to blush with embarrassment, "it's Max", she answered softly. "Oh ye of little faith", Drew replied mockingly.

May then walked away from her seat and outside the small outdoor arena as she answered her phone: "Max", she answered, "is that you?"

"May!" her younger brother answered enthusiastically, "I'm so sorry. I wanted to get in touch with you three weeks ago, but the first time I heard about everything going on in Johto was only two days after I left Fortree City. I decided to not turn back but it took me so long to get to Lilycove City, I probably should have in hindsight. I was so scared something had happened to you. I'm really sorry May."

"I was scared to. I've been getting more and more worried every day. But I'm just glad to see you're ok." Tears were flooding down her face now. "So, how's the journey going? You got all your badges now?"

"Yes, I told you that remember."

"Oh yeah, sorry bout that haha. I'm just not with it lately. I'm guessing you're travelling through Lilycove City on your way to the pokemon league right?"

"Actually, I'm heading out to the islands first. I've got something to take care of." May then remembered something from their journey in Hoenn all that time ago. "Ohhh, I think I know what you're up to. I hope it goes well."

"Thanks May. I will try to move from one pokemon centre to the next as fast as I can so we can stay in touch ok. Looking forward to hearing how the gym leaders tournament goes."

"Ok Max. But is it possible you could buy a phone so we can stay in touch more often? I'm just really worried you know."

"Well I haven't got much money right now, but I promise I'll get in touch with Dad and ask him about it. But I promise I will get in touch really soon, so don't worry ok." May was beginning to tear up again…"ok Max, please be careful, I love you."

"I love you too May", he replied softly…then, sensing his sister's anxiety, he paused for a few moments before reassuring May again…"I promise."

May felt mixed emotions as she closed her phone. She was so relieved and happy to have spoken to Max again; but by the same token she was anxious about still being apart from him and the knowledge that she would be for some time yet, as well as being frustrated that he couldn't perform the simple act of buying a phone. Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Hey, don't get all worried", Drew reassured her as he gave her a big bear hug, "it's good news, and we're all here for you no matter what happens, so try to be happy ok."

"Thanks Drew", May noticed her boyfriend's support was actually helping her feel better. Not so much his words, but just knowing that someone she cared about so much was there to look after her. Just then Bonnie walked up and began hugging her also. With her spirits lifted, May spoke next: "so where to now?"

"To Clement's next match!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"The problem is", Drew began, "his next two matches are on different arenas, so if we go to the next one, we mightn't be able to get a seat at the final one. And we want to be there for his big match don't we?"

"Oh well, I guess so", she conceded.

"So wouldn't this be the perfect time to go and get some lunch?" May asked.

"It sure would", Drew answered. "There's a perfect place inside the stadium where Clement's final match is going to be held."

"You mean Arena number 3?"

"That's right."

"Ok Drew, you lead the way."

"Anything for my girl!" he responded enthusiastically. So with a spring in his step, Drew began to run for the arena. When he realised he had gotten too far ahead of the others he turned back and shouted "you want to get a seat don't you?" May and Bonnie turned to each other and laughed, before racing to catch up with their lively male friend.

At that 'perfect place', deep inside the second level of Arena number 3, team rocket were enjoying an early lunch as the crowds from the first match began to flood into the bar. "Looks like the first match has finished", Jesse observed.

"That would be a fair bet", Meowth responded in his usual dry tone.

"I wonder how the twerps will go?" Jessie mused.

"Well there are a few of them competing, so I guess they've got that working in their favour. As for me, I'm just enjoying the atmosphere, especially the food."

"Agreed", Jessie replied.

James was being quiet, as he thought to himself. He had little or no interest in the tournament. Rather, his attention was devoted almost solely to coming up with a plan to stop Giovanni's diabolical plot. But to this point he was having no luck. Original thinking had never been his strong suit. But his attention was soon diverted as a waitress approached their table, which was located near the front of the bar. "Are you guys ready for something else?" She asked pleasantly. She meant to ask all three of them but her eyes were fixed on James, and it made him feel good, especially because James happened to find this young woman very attractive. She would have been in her early twenties, and was medium in size, with shoulder length jet black hair and kind brown eyes. Her complexion was somewhere between fair and olive. She was one of the most beautiful women James had ever seen but of course he would never tell Jesse that, although he might as well have as he continued to gape at the young woman with next to no self-awareness. Eventually, as Jesse and Meowth stared at him disapprovingly, he replied "Um…I will have a cheese burger and another Kanto draught please."

"Sure thing sweetie", she replied with an adorable grin. James was grinning in a similar fashion as the two continued to stare right at each other, as if they had temporarily forgotten where they were, but the girl soon recovered as she took Jesse and Meowth's orders, with Jesse deciding she was now only in the mood for coffee. James however still couldn't wipe the silly smirk off his face, as he remained in a state of euphoria. Once the girl had left, James whispered "this is one of the happiest days of my life."

"Wow", Meowth replied. "That's a pretty sudden turnaround from the James who's been all doom and gloom lately." Jesse however, looked downcast, and James began to notice this. But he didn't know what he could say that would make her feel better, and despite caring for Jesse, he was so overcome with happiness that he could not really sympathise with his friend. It was as if the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders; all of a sudden he had hope again. "Hey Meowth", he began, "how about this for a prank, you see that board on the wall?" pointing to a blackboard behind – and slightly adjacent to – the front counter. "That's the list of Pizzas on sale, but the most popular pizza is discounted by $5 for the rest of the day after 12:00, so I was thinking …" "Oh I'm with you you purple-haired scallywag, you want to mess up the tallies so that your pizza wins right?"

"Well, I just want to vote for my favourite pizza more than once. I call it being a highly motivated voter."

"So much for change", Jesse responded in a harsh tone. This blind sighted James, who had been grinning up until that moment. "Yeah…well change is complicated", he replied defensively. He began to leave his seat, but was now hesitating. As he did so, he accidently tripped over his chair leg, dropping a coin in the process, which he promptly knelt down and recovered, before heading towards the counter. But as he did so, something attracted his attention, and it wasn't the young waitress. It was a man. James had first noticed him around ten minutes earlier, staring at their table, but had made nothing of it initially. But his suspicions were now highly aroused as this hooded man continued to stare intently in his direction. It was then that James decided to confront him directly, so he walked back in the opposite direction, towards the back of the bar where the man was seated. "Excuse me", James began, "can I help you?" The man stared at James with a slight smirk for a few moments before responding: "No, I'm having a pretty good time back here thank you." This strongly irritated James, "I'm not interested in games, I'm a straight talker. You must be interested in me for a reason."

"Well it ain't your hair", he replied. The man spoke with a rather refined accent, albeit one with a slight roughness around the edges.

"Gee pal, that's original!" James turned around, it was Meowth who had spoken, as he and Jesse, as always, quickly rushed to their friend's side. "Time for some answers bozzo", Meowth said with a raised voice, "or else the face gets it", as he began to threaten the man with his claws. The man was laughing almost hysterically now, "ok, ok, you guys just relax. I promise, there's a good reason for all of this but just another minute or so, the next lot are about to join us."

"What are you on about?" Jesse asked irritably.

"Let's just say they'll seem familiar to you." Team rocket were afraid now. Were these operatives from a rival group who were going to come and threaten them? Or perhaps someone else they had rubbed up the wrong way? After all, they did not have a perfect past. But a few minutes later when those familiar faces _did_ enter the room, James and the others were surprised to see it was the twerpet from Hoenn, accompanied by the green-haired boy she always hung around with. And with them was the inventor kid's little sister. Team rocket were now looking at the man in stunned disbelief, "how could you know that?" Jesse asked incredulously.

"Don't fall for it Jesse", Meowth reassured her "he obviously knows them."

"Let's go over and greet them shall we", the hooded man replied. They then walked over to the table where May, Drew and Bonnie were seated, adjacent to team rocket's table, near the front of the bar. Unsurprisingly, they reacted in an unpleasantly surprised fashion, "Oh, hey team rocket", the brown haired girl answered, "what do you want?" There was a few moments of uncomfortable silence, James did not know what to say, and Jesse and Meowth appeared to be the same. After a few more moments of awkwardness, the mysterious man spoke: "James, Jesse, Meowth", he barked, "go and pull up some chairs and come and sit here. I need to talk with all of you. There are things you need to know."

As they did, James continued to listen in on the conversation, "what would concern us and team rocket?" the green-haired boy answered. "We're not with _them_ ", he said in a condescending tone.

"Well from now on your fates are connected with theirs, so you had better get used to working together." They did not like that at all, "What!" You've got to be kidding to think we can trust them, even after everything that's happened. It still doesn't excuse all the bad things they've done."

"You're not perfect yourself May, and yes that's exactly what I expect you to do", the man answered in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, as James and the others came and sat around the table. The hooded man then took a seat from a nearby table and slotted in between Meowth and the little blonde-haired girl. "Ok, ok", he continued in a pleasant but still authoritative voice, as if he were a teacher who couldn't wait to start class, "to begin with, just a few little ground rules: "Jesse, you see this fine girl here?" "It's no longer twerpet, but May." Jesse was grinding her teeth, which James knew was a bad sign, but eventually she got the words out "hello May."

"Hello Jesse", she responded sarcastically.

"Now that's enough May", he answered. "Jesse and James are your elders, and you'll address them as such."

"Even if they never act like it?"

"Yes May, even if they never act like it. Sometimes people don't grow because no one treats them with respect."

"Yeah well people have to earn it."

"That's true, but it's not your place to judge. I will take care of them."

"Now", he continued, "team rocket, the same goes when the others start arriving, "it's no more twerp or twerpet, or inventor kid. From now on you're going to start referring to the children by their real names."

"Ok", James agreed. After a pause the others also nodded their heads in agreement. The man then removed his hood. He was quite a handsome man, with hazel eyes, a soft, oval face, and ash blonde hair. He carried a few small scares on his cheeks but nothing disfiguring. "As for me, my name is Luke, "I come from the borderlands, just slightly on the Kanto side to be exact, some distance north of here. And I'm here to guide you on your journey."

"What journey?" James asked. "We've made it to Silver City."

"That was only part one. Things are going to get a lot worse I'm afraid."

"How can you know that? Do you have inside information?" At first he didn't respond. Then after a brief pause, he began to calmly explain: "ok, this is how it is. The people, I mean to say the tribe I live with inside the borderlands, we're a rare group of people, quite different from those in the outside world. We're descendants of the original royal family of Kanto, an offshoot, separate from the more recent generations. We're a largely rural people, mostly living off the land. We're actually seers who possess an ability some of you might be familiar with, called the aura. We use it to communicate with the pokemon in our village. Some of the rarest known pokemon live with us in fact but obviously we like to keep it quiet. The aura is how I was able to know your location", he finished, his eyes focused on the children.

"But isn't the aura only related to pokemon?" James answered.

"Not always. For example, for me as a seer, that means I am able to see visions, including visions of the future. That's why you were having those strange visions May, because your mind could sense me reaching out." The girl was looking highly anxious now, "but why would you do that, why me?" He stared intently at her, "I think you know."

"Do you mean she's a seer to?" James asked.

"That's exactly what I mean. That's right May, you have the aura."

"Then h-how come", she mumbled, "how come I've never been able to communicate with pokemon or had any of these visions before?"

"Because you're still very young. It takes time to develop the ability. And I'm sure if you think back there will be things you couldn't explain, maybe a dream that happened in reality which you just put down to chance, or maybe a time you thought you were merely imagining what a pokemon was thinking." She was starting to look extremely uncomfortable now. But she soon spoke again, "actually, there's someone else in our group, for a while we've suspected that he might have the aura, would you know if that's true?"

"Ah, you mean your young friend Ash? He certainly does, and you will also be interested to know that him and Serena will be joining us very shortly. I've been deliberately stalling for a reason: I want them to be there when I reveal the next part of the story, and the plans I have for you lot, especially Ash, yourself and James."

"Ok", she continued, "me and Ash because we have the aura but why James, he doesn't have the aura does he?" James' heart was beating hard now as he waited for Luke to reveal why his role in this was so important: "no, I'm afraid not. But trust me, James will be vital to your journey. For one, he too is a descendent of the original royals, and much more closely related to the current royal family than my own tribe. However, I believe you will find his true value lies elsewhere."

"Don't riddle me man", James responded, "if there's something, some purpose which I'm needed for, just let me know so that I can do my job."

"You're not ready for the full answer yet James. But rest assured you will know when you need to know, it's your destiny. But I think you already know a piece of the puzzle." James suspected he was talking about coming up with a plan to infiltrate team rocket headquarters. He took comfort from at least knowing what he had to do next. It also buoyed James to know that he had a destiny; no one had ever told him _that_ before.

After a few minutes of silence Luke spoke again, "could someone please go and pull up two extra chairs, Ash and Serena are about to join us."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Ash was in high spirits as he and Serena left their seats to go and get some lunch. They had just watched the conclusion of Dawn's match which she had won in an exciting victory over her opponent from Hoenn. However, moments later he felt an intense, throbbing pain in his head. "Ah", he cried, "Ah, it's terrible, make it stop!"

"Ash!" Serena cried. "What can I do?" The pain was getting no better. Suddenly Ash began to see visions. He saw all kinds of images coming at him in quick succession, too quick for him to really process the meaning of any individual one. He saw happy pictures, of him and his friends. He also saw images of Serena and Pickachu. But he also saw terrifying images, images of warfare, of Silver City under attack, people running for their lives. Then he saw images of other cities where the same things were happening. He also saw May crying uncontrollably and him trying to console her, then he saw himself leaning over a cliff screaming something but he didn't know what. Finally, he saw the legendary pokemon he had seen a long time ago, ho-ho, and flying beside it were more of its kind and he and Serena were riding on one, May and Drew on another, while Clement, Bonnie and Misty were on yet another. Then, the visions suddenly came to an end. This was quickly proceeded by the conclusion of the excruciating pain. Ash was now taking in deep breaths as his girlfriend put her arm around his shoulder to comfort him.

"That was the worst pain I've had in my entire life", he said.

"Ash, I think you had better see a doctor", Serena replied in a concerned manner.

"No, no, I don't think it's anything like that Serena. I think someone or something wanted me to see this."

"See what?"

"Never mind. I'll talk about it later. It's complicated." Instead of arguing with him, on this occasion Serena respected Ash's wishes and decided not to argue the matter any further. "It's ok Ash, I won't pressure you until you're ready ok."

"Thanks Serena, now let's get some lunch, I'm so hungry."

When Ash and Serena arrived at the main eatery on that level, they saw a number of familiar faces staring in their direction. Among them were May, Drew and Bonnie; but much to their surprise, team rocket also. There was also another man who they did not recognise. Ash couldn't determine why but they too looked surprised, almost shocked, by his and Serena's arrival. "Hey guys, is everything ok?" he asked.

"You really do have the aura don't you?" James said, looking in the direction of the unknown man, who answered with a smile. This amazed Ash, who had often wondered whether he himself possessed the aura. "Oh wow Sir, it's so amazing to meet someone with the aura."

"Thank you young man. By the way, my name's Luke and I believe you're Ash and Serena. And of course this must be Pickachu."

"That's right", Ash answered. I guess my friends have been filling you in huh?"

"You could say that."

"So how did you guys all come to be together?" The others then told Ash the whole story bit by bit. Ash was stunned by what he heard. "So I guess", he answered nervously, "that explains those things I was able to do, but I never suspected May had the aura as well. Actually, I think there's something else you should know as well Luke. Just before I came here, I had this really bad headache and then I started seeing all these terrifying visions. Did that have something to do with you?"

"It was and it wasn't."

"I don't understand."

"You will when it is time for you to know. Now…" "I had visions too", May exclaimed, "and I saw really bad stuff too. Luke, you don't think these things we saw are actually going to happen do you?" She asked, almost in panic.

"I'm afraid what you saw will come to pass." May was in tears now, obviously she had seen something terrifying. "Don't worry May", Luke said comfortingly, "what you saw was not the end of the story, only things that must take place between now and the end." But this seemed to do little to cheer her up as Drew consoled here. "Why would you do something like this to them?" he asked angrily, "how is this supposed to profit us?"

"It's to prepare you for what's to come. And now we get to the real business. What I brought all of you here together for in the first place."

"Wait a minute", Meowth interjected, "don't tell me you rigged the schedule of matches to get us all together in this place at the same time?"

"No I most certainly did not, but I did study the schedule of matches closely and I knew that this would be my best shot. Of course, I could have waited until you were all back at the hotel but we're running out of time. So now, onto the order of business. Soon, very soon, Silver City will come under attack, most likely in the week after the conclusion of the tournament."

"How can you know that?" Meowth interrupted once more.

"Ok, if you insist Meowth I'll backtrack a little bit further. About a fortnight ago, me and a number of my fellow villagers received visions from the pokemon. They showed that things were about to get a whole lot worse. They also showed visions of a number of you children, so we knew to come here. But unfortunately I had to make the journey alone, because our other villagers are needed elsewhere right now. The journey itself isn't all that difficult at this time of year, about a week on foot but the problem was many of those tripods and alien pokemon from the first wave of attacks were still around at that stage. I passed a number of them on my way through the mountains. In fact, I had to fend off two of those rabbit-like ones as I was crossing over a bridge, and may I say not exactly the sturdiest bridge ever built either. But I made it across, plus a few cuts and bruises", pointing at his cheeks. "So eventually, three days ago, I arrived here."

"I'm sorry to hear that", Ash replied. "But something you said was funny. We assumed that the tripods never made it that far north, that's why we were heading for Silver City."

"Yeah", Drew added. "The reports on the radio seemed to suggest the attacks were moving northward, but by the time they were getting further North it seemed like most of them had already been defeated."

"Hmmm", Luke responded, "very interesting indeed. I guess a few of them slipped by the more populated areas."

"What", Serena bellowed. "You mean there are still more of them out there."

"In all likelihood young lady, yes. But the few still wandering around at the moment are of little concern compared to the number that will be roaming around after the next wave", Luke was starting to raise his voice now. "And if this world is going to survive, then this plan needs to work!"

"What plan?" Ash asked.

"The plan which involves you lot. Clearly a number of you are the ones mentioned in the prophecy because you're the ones the pokemon showed in the vision."

"How do you know about the prophecy?" Ash pressed. "Do you have a copy too?"

"I need no copy, because the pokemon in our village are the very pokemon who made the prophecy in the first place. We've known for years this war was coming and that the attacks couldn't be prevented. But we've been waiting a long time for the ones who would be able to bring an end to the war and save the world." This was all making Ash incredibly nervous, and he could see a number of the others were shifting uncomfortably in their seats also. "Look", Luke continued, "I know you all must be feeling unqualified but it's natural and we know prophecy so often picks the unqualified. But you wouldn't have been selected if you weren't going to be equipped with what you need to claim the victory."

"What types of pokemon do live in your village Luke?" Ash asked.

"None other than the ho-ho." Ash's heart was pounding now. Filled with excitement he leapt out of his chair, "Yes!" he exclaimed. "That explains everything. That's why I saw ho-ho those times. And that's why I had a vision of ho-ho before I came in here. But I never realised there was more than one."

"Oh yes, we try to keep it a closely guarded secret. There are seven ho-ho in total living with us. All of them are thousands of years old. A whole family of legendary pokemon, the most majestic creatures", he proclaimed admiringly, as his eyes lit up.

"Wow", Ash replied. "I never knew. So, getting back on topic, what is the plan?"

"Ah, finally, what I've been waiting to talk to all of you about: the plan. So once the attack in Silver City happens, all of you need to leave, together. But after a while you will come to a fork in the road. Team rocket, you take the northern path. James, you know what you have to do. As for the rest of you, you will need to take the road back to Kanto. It will take you straight to Viridian City. I will meet you guys there."

"But Luke, I'm not sure if you're aware that at the moment I'm carrying the GS ball, and as I'm sure you know, the heir is meant to use this ball to defeat the enemy. My main priority has been to find the heir. Do you think that you would be able to help us with that in some way?"

"Of course Ash", Luke responded calmly, "finding that heir is of vital importance. But as I'm sure you will remember, the prophecy also notes that the heir has to remain in hiding until just the right moment."

"But that's so stupid. If we could find him sooner then we could defeat the enemy before more lives are lost."

"I know Ash. But no matter how much we want to know, the GS ball isn't going to reveal its secrets until it's ready to. You just have to trust me and take it step-by-step ok. Now, I will meet you in Viridian City. Your first step is to get that ball, yourself and all your friends there safely. You and May in particular." Ash was getting more and more irritated by what he was hearing but he didn't want to compound the situation, so instead of saying what he thought he simply said "I promise Luke."

"Good man. Now, I think it's just about time for us to head back to our seats. Your friend Clement has just won his second match, so if he wins this one he will be through to the second round."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Ash and Serena brought up the rear as they walked back to their seats. Ash was feeling incredibly wary of his new acquaintance. He wanted to say something to Serena but he was worried that if he even whispered, that Luke would overhear him; in fact, he was worried Luke was somehow reading his thoughts right at that moment. However, some of his anxiety was alleviated as he and his friends – along with team rocket – took their seats in one of the upper rows of the arena. Like the main stadium, Arena number 3 was circular in shape, but only contained one large level of seats. According to the match program, this stadium could hold more than 16,000 spectators and as Ash looked around the stadium, he observed that most of those seats were already filled, as fans continued to stream in, most returning from the break between the 2nd and 3rd matches of the day. The main stadium could hold over 27,000 people.

As the seats continued to fill up, Ash and his companions began to turn their attention to the match ahead, "So, who is Clement playing next?" Ash asked. None of them were sure, so Serena began to look in her program: "it's some gym leader called Whitney", she responded. As he processed this information, Ash's eyes began to light up: "Yes!" he exclaimed, "Clement couldn't have wished for a better opponent. This is a golden opportunity for him to reach the next round", he finished, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Wow", Serena responded, looking confused, "is this girl really that bad?"

"Perhaps disorganised would be a better word." Neither of Ash's travelling companions from his time in Goldenrod City (Misty and Brock) were currently present, so he was having a difficult time articulating Whitney's eccentric persona to his new friends. "Wait a minute", it was Jesse who spoke, "do you mean that ditzy girl from way back in Goldenrod City, the one with the pink hair?"

Ash nodded in reply. "I don't think your little inventor friend has too much to be worried about in that case", she replied.

"If this girl is really that bad", Drew began in his regular condescending tone, "then how do you explain that", pointing to the big screen positioned in front of them, on their right. It showed the current records and stats of both competitors and the pokemon they would be using in the battle. It showed Clement had won one game and lost one also. Surprisingly, that was also the case for his opponent. "Wow", Ash replied, "I guess she isn't going to be quite as much of an easy beat as I thought." This information had Ash's mind working overtime, 'how could she have won a match?' 'Was there something wrong with her opponent or their pokemon?' However, he also had no option but to consider the possibility that Whitney had changed since they had last met. Three years _was_ quite a lot of time after all, even if that time does go by really fast. However, his anxiety was soon alleviated as the two contestants made their way into the arena.

"Hellooo everybody!" Whitney exclaimed, flapping her hands enthusiastically as she waved to the crowd. She was also twirling – presumably so she could wave at the fans on all sides of the arena - , presumably with next-to-no self-awareness of how she came across to others. Ash chuckled to himself, trying to contain a bigger outburst of laughter; something some of his companions were unable to do. Serena for one couldn't contain herself whatsoever.

"Oh wow", she began, "now I see what you mean Ash, she's definitely eccentric. But then again I suppose Clement is too, so who knows what to expect."

"She sure is", Ash replied "but there's eccentric and there's eccentric. The Clement I know won't have any problem finishing her off."

Only moments later, the announcer came into the middle of the arena, right between Whitney and Clement, and briefly ran through the rules of the battle. It was the usual: It would be a three-on-three battle, pokemon may be substituted, and the battle was over when all of one gym leader's pokemon were no longer able to battle. And with that, the announcer blew his whistle and the battle was underway, to the raucous applause of the now near-full arena.

Clement had opted to begin with Luxray, while Whitney opened with Nidorina. The opening exchanges were nothing to ride home about, as the pair exchanged relatively harmless blows, using moves like bite and scratch. This went on for some time, and both were quite hesitant in making moves. This gave the impression the contest was fairly even, but Ash knew that if it was becoming a strategic battle, then Clement would be at a massive advantage.

The crowd was becoming more impatient the longer this went on, but Whitney was clearly the crowd favourite. It appeared most of the audience had been hypnotised by her beauty and girlish charm, but this did not seem to bother Clement, who appeared to Ash very composed, and confident in his own abilities. Bonnie noted how different he looked from his first battle, which had only taken place earlier the same day. All of a sudden Whitney made a bold move: "Nidorina, double kick", she screamed enthusiastically. Luxray was unable to dodge in time, but Clement responded promptly, "Luxray, leer." This was a move that lowered the opposing pokemon's defense, but as it stood, Whitney's pokemon was still in a slightly stronger position than Clement's. But Ash soon saw what his friend's strategy was, as he quickly made the next move, catching Whitney unawares: "Luxray, electric terrain." All of a sudden the battlefield came alive with electricity, which from Ash's seat shone majestically against the deep blue summer sky, as a magnificent combination of yellow and blue illuminated the air. "What's he doing?" Serena asked with a concerned tone in her voice, "why doesn't he do something that inflicts more damage on Nidorina?"

"He's set it up perfectly", Ash responded. "Now the battlefield is charged up so that Clement will be able to execute Luxray's more powerful electric type moves, which will now be even more effective because he's used Leer on Nidorina."

"Oh", Serena responded with a sudden sense of understanding, "well I hope you're right."

Ash was right, all of a sudden, Clement commanded a barrage of moves. "Luxray, Wild charge."

It was a perfect hit and Whitney was too stunned to make the next move, but Clement was happy to go again, "Luxray, crunch."

Luxray's fangs inflicted more damage upon Whitney's weakening pokemon. In desperation, she pulled out what she hoped would be a game changing move, "Nidorina, flattery."

However, this move only had a brief effect, and Clement was able to command his pokemon to dodge Whitney's next move. It also had the added effect of increasing Luxray's attack. He then executed his next move, "Luxray, discharge".

It was another direct hit, and it also had the added effect of paralysing Nidorina. It was soon clear that Whitney's pokemon was not getting back to its feet. "Nidorina is no longer able to battle, the winner is Luxray."

The crowd let out a modest chear, and it was loudest of all in Ash's section, as he and his friends – with the exception of team rocket – started cheering loudly for Clement. Bonnie even began dancing on the seat in front on her, which was currently unoccupied. "Woo, go big brother," she cheered.

Then the second battle was underway. This time around, Whitney opted to use her Clefairy. Clement started more aggressively this time around, firing a number of shots his opponent's way, including wild charge, tackle and bite, while Whitney's confidence was still shot after things didn't go the way she had planned in the previous battle. She hesitantly told Clefairy to use Metronone, but Clement, who was sharp and alert, was able to quickly instruct Luxray to dodge the move. However, he noticed luxray was starting to move a little slowly, obviously exhausted from all the powerful moves it had executed, so Clement decided to substitute him for Chespin: "well done luxray, you were brilliant, now get some rest. Chespin, I choose you."

Chespin sprung out of his pokeball enthusiastically, ready to go, and Clement wasted no time in having him make his first move, "Chespin, pin missile."

The pin missiles, like almost all of Clement's other moves so far, was dead accurate, further weakening Whitney's Clefairy. Clement then decided to keep his foot on the pedal, "Chespin, vine whip."

Clefairy was now trapped in Chespin's vines and Whitney was hapless. There were few moves she could use while her pokemon remained trapped. She attempted to weaken Chespin by using growl, but this made little difference with Clefairy still unable to break free; it was then that Clement went in for the kill: "Chespin, bite."

Using its own vines to slingshot the hapless Clefairy towards him, he then delivered a bite that left his opponent wriggling on the ground, and unable to recover. A few moments later, the announcer made it official: "Clefairy is no longer able to battle, the winner is Chespin."

Once again, the applause from the crowd was modest, but Ash didn't care less. He was now growing in excited anticipation of his friend's victory and progression through to the second round.

Suddenly that victory appeared only moments away as Clement's Chespin picked up where it left off against Clefairy, in its next battle, which was against Whitney's final pokemon, Miltank. Chespin took the early initiative with another early onslaught of tackles and pin missiles, while Miltank had only made one tackle move. But suddenly, Whitney had a surge of confidence: "Miltank, growl." The move in itself had little effect, but Whitney looked like someone with a plan, and with little hesitation she quickly made another move: "Miltank, body slam."

It was a direct hit. Suddenly, the effect of this move, combined with Chespin already being slightly weakened from the previous battle, put Clement's pokemon in a vulnerable position. Then Clement made his next move: "Chespin, overgrow."

This would increase the power of Chespin's grass type moves, and Clement didn't want to waste any time making his next move; however this time around, Whitney was alert to Clement's tactics as she beat him to the punch: "Miltank, gyro spin", but Clement was alert and quickly reacted to his opponent's move: "Chespin, dodge it!" Chespin did just that and this time around, Clement was the first to react: "Chespin, seed bomb", suddenly a barrage of shells was hurtled in Miltank's direction, most of them hitting their intended target. Clement wasted no time regaining the upper hand: "Chespin, vine whip!" Chespin now had his opponent trapped, and this time Clement used a tackle to further weaken his opponent. Whitney knew what to do next: "Miltank, Milk dri….." but once again Clement had been just a little too quick for her. Before she could complete her healing move, Clement had commanded Chespin to bite. And with Miltank still trapped in Chespin's vines, there was no escape, as the hapless pokemon now lay motionless on the ground, much to Whitney's anguish. "Miltank is no longer able to battle, the winner is Chespin." This time the overall applause from the crowd was somewhat louder. Ash let out a big cheer for his friend; he was so proud of the way Clement had battled, and Ash knew he thoroughly deserved his victory. Even from high in the stands Ash could see the big grin on Clement's face; he had rarely seen him that happy. Bonnie, instead of being her usual high energy self, now had tears streaming down her face.

"Wow", Serena began, "Clement sure has come a long way."

"What are you talking about Serena?", Bonnie protested, "my brother was always a really great trainer." Serena now began to blush, "I'm sorry Bonnie, I know Clement is really talented, I just meant it's the first time I've seen him this composed, and battling at such an advanced level."

"Oh, well I guess you're right, but I always knew my brother had it in him."

"So did I", Ash added.

It was a festive atmosphere when they returned to the hotel, where the main lobby and the adjacent hall were filled with contestants, trainers and other fans. Luke had left them a few blocks short of the hotel, closer to the hotel he was staying in, citing exhaustion after his long journey to Silver City. Ash and his friends soon spotted Clement and Misty in the adjacent room, which was lined down the middle with tables, each of which contained bowls filled with various kinds of foods, including pizza, chips, and sushi among others. Bonnie ran straight into her older brother's arms. "I knew you could do it brother, I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks Bonnie", Clement blushed, while making an awkward glance in Misty's direction. "But we're still waiting for confirmation I even made it through to the next round, remember only 12 out of the original 32 competitors will progress past the first round."

"I already explained this Clement", Misty stated, "you didn't lose a single pokemon in your final battle, and both your first two matches were three to one, so they cancel out, which means overall you have a ratio of plus 3, so I think you will definitely make the cut."

"But you said yourself that 7 trainers won all three of their battles, and another 8 won 2 battles, so that only leaves 5 places between 8 trainers."

"And", responded Misty, in an almost irritated tone, "you will have one of the best ratios out of all of those 8 trainers. The chances of you missing are less than one in 100. Personally, I'm more nervous about whether or not I will be progressing straight to the third round, or if I will have to go through the wildcard stage. Like you said, there were seven trainers who won all of their battles, and only 4 trainers automatically progress past the wildcard stage. Two of my battles I won quite easily, but the last one was really close, so I think I will be either number 4 or 5, and if I'm number 5, that means I have to battle again tomorrow."

"Hey Misty", Clement began, with an awkward smirk written over his face, "you don't think that m-maybe, you and I will be b-battling against each other do you?" Misty's face lit up at the thought, but after a brief pause she replied: "I don't think you'll be number 12, but you never know", she quipped, "that sure would be good fun."

"I agree."

Although team rocket had returned to the hotel with Ash and the others, few words had been exchanged between the two groups, and the former were now huddled in a corner between the dining hall and the main lobby, looking like they would give almost anything to be somewhere else. Ash felt a certain pity for them, and he was considering going over to them when a loud voice came in over the speaker. "Good evening gym leaders, trainers, friends and fans. We hope you've all had a wonderful day", began the soothing female voice, "if you would make your way to the big screen on the right side of the main lobby, you will see the results of the first day of competition, rankings, and the matchups for tomorrow's wildcard round! It's sure to be an exciting day of competition tomorrow, so make sure you don't miss out!"

The crowds now moved eagerly towards the big screen located on the other side of the wall that team rocket were currently occupying. It was almost a stampede as everyone made their way out of the dining hall, and turned around the corner into the main foyer, where the information everyone was so eagerly anticipating was on display. As they all arrived at the big screen, Ash suddenly turned towards the stairway perched on the opposite side of the large, gold-coated foyer, to see his friend Dawn – with Piplup in hand – eagerly making her way down the stairs to read the results, while simultaneously adjusting her cap. Ash smiled at his friend, who blushed back in his direction.

As the results came up, it began with a brief summary of each of the day's matches, which only increased the tension and sense of anticipation in the room. Then finally, the rankings were revealed, starting with the highest ranked contestant, going all the way down to number 12, as each profile appeared on the screen, one by one. There were not too many surprises. Unfortunately for Misty, her fear came true, as she had been ranked fifth, meaning she would have to survive tomorrow's wildcard round against the 12th ranked contestant in order to progress to the final eight. Misty had also been right about Clement, who ended up being seeded 10th, meaning his opponent would be the 7th ranked contestant, who happened to be the boy from the Albion region, whose appearance was not that all unlike Clement's. Then finally the 12th seed was revealed to be none other than…Dawn. "Yes!" She shrieked. "I'm in…oh sorry", she said, with a guilty look at Piplup, "we're in", as she began to tickle her pokemon affectionately.

In all the excitement and euphoria of the occasion, Ash, Dawn and the others had all forgotten something very important; then the pin dropped, as Misty stared a piercing stare in Dawn's direction. "Wait, y-you're going to be my opponent", Dawn said softly, staring nervously back at Misty."

"See you tomorrow, number 12", Misty responded, with a harshness in her voice, her eyes like steel, and focused intently upon her opponent.

"See you tomorrow, number 5", Dawn answered, all of a sudden regaining her composure, and staring resolutely back at Misty.

"Uhhh, look at the menu on table 5", James gushed, as he and his team rocket companions rushed back into the now empty dining room, where they had all the remaining food to themselves.


End file.
